RWBY Rider of War
by Lightning Lord Kaji
Summary: Ruby and Jaune always heard stories of the Riders of the Apocalypse. They never thought that they would end up going to school with one though. Will this young Rider prove to them that he is not just another one of his family? Will they stop the apocalypse or will they be the cause? Or perhaps they will simply be caught in the middle of it. (Pairings obvious inside.)
1. Prologue

I don't own RWBY, it is owned by Rooster Teeth and may Monty Oum rest in peace. I also don't own Fire Emblem.

Hey everyone! First of all I apologize for the summary, I would put more in if I was allowed to like talk about the importance of Jaune and Ruby. I honesty have no idea what's going on with my writing desires, but well this just came up and I had to try it out to see what could happen. Besides I got into RWBY finally and Fates came out recently, what better way to enjoy this than combine them! Now the Fire Emblem characters will be a bit off and they are modified to fit in with the RWBY universe. If anyone who reads my other stories is reading this, I'm sorry but those are all on pause until I get the heart to write them again. I am just putting this under RWBY since I think it wouldn't be seen if I put it under the crossover category, would I get in trouble for that, if so please tell me. Of course if you guys think I should just put it under crossover anyway I will if I get enough people telling me. Please tell me what you all think or if you have questions feel free to ask me by message preferably. Now then enjoy, favorite and/or follow please!

Prologue

* * *

"Now Azure, remember what we taught you. You have all your things in your bags righ?" a stern voice hiding worry said. She was a pink haired woman, looking to be in about in her early twenties. She wore a sort of home welcoming outfit, yet she stood firm like she was a soldier, especially since she stood at six foot one. Her long pink hair was done in a braid and her blue eyes were busy looking over the young boy in front of her.

"I'll be fine, Felica. Don't worry too much," the youth threw back. He was a young teen, looking only fifteen. He stood tall for his age at around five ten. He had unkempt white hair styled in a semi respectable way. His skin was a bit pale, making his fire orange eyes more eerie. He was wearing some simple jeans and a white hoodie. He had a sword strapped to his waist, the sheath was just black but the hilt was gold, adorned with a red jem at the pommel. He was smiling in a lighthearted way but the woman in front of him knew he was putting on an act.

"Xander and the others don't want to lose you…" Felica said softly as she embraced him. Azure frowned and relented to the hug. They stayed like that for a time and Azure listened to the small sounds of their airship.

"I was a hunter too…just because you get to look it forever doesn't mean you get to be young forever necessarily…well…depending when your body decides to stop you anyway…" Felica said, saying the last part as a joke, sort of. Azure sighed into the hug, enjoying the warmth he got from it.

"I'll be fine…Kurai and the others got through just fine and I'm not like them…" Azure tried to appease her. That just made her hold on him last longer.

"That's why I'm worried…just…promise me you'll try to stay out of trouble. I know a few of your friends are going to Beacon. I made sure the teachers won't judge you too harshly at first. I'm sure Ms. Goodwitch will be kind to you especially…" she said softly, making Azure sigh.

"I know…I hope Kurai doesn't get mad that you came with me on my flight to Patch…my brother can be…overbearing…" Azure said a bit bitterly. Felica sighed and separated from the hug and held him by his shoulders.

"Your brother is just worried about you. I know he doesn't show it as much as he should but he cares…all of them do…do you think I would have married him if he was as cold as you think?" Felica asked, making Azure sigh and shrug her off.

"If he really cared that much, then he would have come to see me off…" Azure said with some malice in his voice. Before Felica could reply, their pilot said that they were coming in for a landing. Azure wandered off to a seat and sat down, before Sophie could speak. He heard someone panting and looked towards the front of the ship. He saw some poor guy hunched over a trashcan, air travel probably didn't agree with him. It was dark so he couldn't make him out but he thought he was a blonde. The other small things he made out were that he was dressed in some armor and he had a sword, probably another prospect, just like him.

"Your brother doesn't understand why you didn't just take a flight straight to beacon but I can understand," Felica said as she took her seat next to his. Azure chuckled softly at what she said.

"It's late and I've been in this ship for three hours now. I'll just catch a ride with the other prospects, tomorrow. Besides, dinner would be nice," Azure said and Felica, laughed. He laughed with her, happy that the tension was dropped.

"Shira, said she was proud of you, Azure," Felica added, cautiously. Azure peered at her, skeptically.

"Did she? I would have thought my sister would be jealous that I got accepted to Beacon two years early…I know Arthur was too…" Azure said with a cruel laugh.

Azure did not have a particularly healthy relationship with his siblings, or it was more of a love hate thing, in his eyes anyway. Things were tense and he was happy to be gone from home, he wanted to set out and finally become his own warrior. After years of being forced not to enter tournaments or any recognizable event, finally he would be able to show his skills. He thanked Oum that a teacher from Beacon had been around Mistral to see him. He managed to get away from home and showed the teacher what he could do, it was a bit unconventional since he wasn't in a combat school but he'd been trained for years before. His last name being Legacy helped out.

"Azure…look…don't hold it against them too much…Arthur and Kurai have had it very hard you know…" Felica chided softly.

"Yeah…hard time rejecting their duties you mean…I'm starting to think I'm the only one who takes pride in our name…and the only one who takes pride in being a Rider…" Azure threw back, feeling his anger rise just thinking about his siblings. He calmed himself though when he felt the airship touch the ground. He stood up quickly and picked up his things.

"I won't say anymore about that…I will say that I am proud of you though Azure. Elise and Hinoka wouldn't stop saying how cool it was that their older brother was going to be a hunter…" Sophie said and Azure smiled. He hugged her warmly for a few moments before he parted.

"Tell them and Sakura Xander and Leo too that I miss them…don't forget about Flora and Jakob either, I don't want to be ungrateful," Azure said softly. As much as he might loathe(love?) his siblings, he adored their kids. He had three nieces and two nephews and the five adored him like no other. He also cared for the people his siblings took as spouses. They practically raised him since his parents and his siblings couldn't do it or at least not as well as they could have, Azure didn't exactly hold it against them, especially his sister.

"I will…good luck Kamui…I hope you start going by that from now on when you come back," Sophie said, her voice breaking slightly. Azure hugged her again as the doors of the airship opened. He was a little scathed at her calling him that name but she was aloud to. Azure quickly left the airship after separating from Sophie and stepped out into the cool night air of Patch. He turned around and waved to Sophie as the doors of the airship closed again. He waited for the airship to leave again, with his mother figure on it. He sighed after a few minutes and turned around.

"Ugh…" Azure's eyes narrowed at the smell of vomit and saw who he thought was the guy from his airship. He shuddered slightly at the wretching sounds coming from him. He felt bad for him but decided to figure out something. He had no idea where to go! He'd never been outside of Mistral at least not by himself.

"Right…I've never been to Patch before…nice planning Azure…" he grumbled as he left the landing pads, looking for some kind of map. Fortunately he found a map in the form of a pamphlet like something he'd get from an amusement park. Thankfully the town was literally right outside of the airship zone so he just started walking around the town, trying to read the map.

The cool night felt good to him and he sighed softly. After being cooped up in an airship for hours it felt good to move around. His sword clanging against his leg made him sigh. He wished he could have some excitement, the violent kind. Patch wasn't that big, it was just a small island town. It's positioning was nice since it would be hard for Grimm to get to them and they would always have some warning before that happened. Unfortunately that also meant that there wouldn't be much in the form of fighting for Azure to do until he went to Beacon. Even if he found some excitement, he doubted it would be a worthy opponent.

"I miss Sis…" Azure thought as he thought about one of his friends from Mistral. She was the one he considered his actual sister and they were pretty close since they understood each other. He wondered how many others at Beacon would give him a suitable challenge, a lot hopefully. Thankfully as if someone was watching, excitement struck. Azure saw a group of men, all dressed similarly, except for the one leading them, exit an alley.

"Maybe something exciting will happen…" Azure thought as he eyed the group. He decided to follow after them, feeling his blood starting to pump faster.

"I don't like stealth but hopefully it'll be worth it…" Azure thought as he followed after the group. It could have been nothing; they might have just been from some business meeting, except the one leading them rubbed him the wrong way just by looking at him. The one in front was wearing a white suit and a sort of top hat. He walked with a cane, though he also had a sort of arrogant step in his stride, while the ones following him were all serious.

"What are they doing?" Azure thought as he followed them through the night streets. He stuck to the alley's, making sure not to get close. After a few moments they stopped in front of a dust shop and then the guy in white started talking to his posse. At that point, Azure had stopped, he couldn't hear the guy but he didn't want to be seen. Though the young boy smiled when the men pulled weapons out of their suits and stormed the shop.

"Time for some fun!" Azure thought, excitedly. He placed his pack and his luggage down onto the ground, he'd come back for his things after he was done. Then suddenly there was a loud crashing sound, followed by a loud boom from a gun?

"What?!" Azure peaked around the corner again and his eyes widened. He wasn't surprised because the men that went into the store had just been kicked out, through the window. He was surprised by who had done it. Standing in the middle of all the fallen men, were a girl with raven hair with red at her hair tips. She was wearing a red hood too but more importantly she was holding a giant scythe! He had to get in on this now; this was the excitement he wanted!

"How disappointing…" the man with the cane sighed as he looked around at his fallen goons. His goons all struggled onto their feet as the girl in red twirled her scythe around like it weighed nothing.

"Well? Get her!" the cane wielding man ordered, a bit bored from the sound of him. Before anything happened though, Azure came in and shoulder tackled one of the men, sending him flying. The girl in red ducked and the guy flew over her and collided with some of his comrades.

"Mind if I get in on this?" he asked the girl. She looked at him, at bit bewildered by his appearance. She looked a bit like red riding hood, with her hood, she wore a sort of long sleeved black corset with red trim along with stockings, at least that's what Azure thought those were, he didn't really care. Her silver eyes met his golden ones and she smiled a bit awkwardly.

"Sure! Thanks for the assist!" she said, energetically. She swiped her scythe around at some of the men around her, making them back off. Azure smiled with delight as he dodged an attacker and kicked him in the side, sending him flying into a car. Another one tried to swing at him with a sword but Azure edged back, just out of reach and kicked the blade out of his hand. The man clutched his wrist in pain but Azure quickly hit his face, cracking the mask, he didn't realize he was wearing. The man fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Heads up!" Azure ducked on reflex and three of the masked men were sent flying over him. He looked to his ally and saw her smiling at him, with her scythe over her shoulder like it was a pole.

"I win! I got more of them!" she said excitedly, making Azure's eyes widen. He realized that she had just taken out more people than he did.

"Hey! No fair! You started before I did!" Azure threw back, making the silver eyed girl pout.

"I did not! You're the one who butted in!" she threw back, making Azure step closer so he was almost in her face.

"You did too, you cheater!" he threw out, making the girl gape before she slammed her scythe into the ground and stomp her foot.

"Did not!" she yelled back. Before Azure could reply, he heard a cocking and turned to see the redhead in the white suit, pointing his cane at him.

"As enjoyable as this is, I'm afraid that this party is going to have to end…" he said, arrogantly. The tip of the cane popped up, revealing the barrel of a gun. Then he fired a dust round at them. Azure's eyes narrowed and he reached to draw his sword but before the blade left his scabbard, a glyph appeared in front of them and tanked the blast.

"Please leave the children alone…" Azure and his silver-eyed companion looked over to see a blonde woman with glasses, wearing a white blouse and a black skirt with a purple cape. She was holding a riding crop like a sort of wand.

"How disappointing…oh well…" the cane wielding man said. He pointed his cane at the blonde and opened fire, which she blocked with ease. A whirring sound hit their ears and then instinctively Azure jumped away from where he was standing and a small explosion hit where he was standing. He heard a grunt beside him and saw that the scythe wielder had the same idea.

"What did I stumble onto?" Azure said to himself. He looked up to see an airship, one outfitted with weaponry floating above them. A ladder dropped down towards the hat wearing man and before Azure could do anything, the guns of the airship warmed up again. A glyph from the blonde woman stopped the blast again but when the smoke cleared, the cane wielding man had already gotten up onto the ship.

"See you next time!" he taunted as the airship started to pull away. Azure caught sighed of someone standing in the doorway of the ship but he couldn't tell who it was. He was more focused on the fact that her clothing lit up like fire and several fireballs were sent towards them. The blonde huntress blocked the fireballs with one of her own spells though. Azure reached behind his back but he realized that he left his gun in his luggage and cursed inwardly. The girl in red wasn't done though, he saw her pull a slot on her scythe and his eyes widened as her weapon changed into a sniper. She pulled a slot back and took aim at the ship and fired with a loud bang. Azure winced at the loud sound and it wasn't just for show, the rifle kicked back, hard on the girl. The bullet dinged off the airship leaving a noticeable dent.

"Wait, careful!" the blonde woman shouted as the girl in red pulled the slot of her rifle back again and took aim again. The airship was practically away at this point yet she still took aim. She pulled the trigger and her shot ringed out again, except her aim wasn't exactly true this time and her bullet hit a building, knocking a large chunk out of the bricks.

"Oops…" she said, embarrassed. Azure laughed softly, appropriate or not it was great! Maybe not the excitement he wanted exactly but he had something to look forward to.

"Hey? What's your name?" he asked. The girl blinked like she wasn't used to that question and then she smiled a little, bashfully.

"My name's Ruby Rose and my beloved her is named Crescent Rose!" Ruby said, cheerfully as she cradled her weapon like it was a baby. Azure smiled and bowed slightly.

"A pleasure, my name is Azure Legacy. I'm here to head off to Beacon, am I right in assuming that you're a prospect as well?" Azure wasn't sure if he was communicating correctly but he had to say something. Ruby's eyes widened at that news and suddenly she was in his face in a blur, making Azure jump slightly.

"Really?! I'm still in combat school but I'm going to be going to Beacon soon, I have a sister going this year! But aren't you only fifteen?" Ruby asked him quite fast but Azure caught all of it. He was actually a little more surprised that she didn't recognize his last name. Though not wearing his full set up probably helped. Still though he was surprised that she wasn't a prospect, she didn't fight like a rookie in combat school, Azure should know.

"As an eternal yourself, age doesn't mean much…well depending of course…" Azure said a bit evasively, chuckling at the memory of one of his brother's complaining about his age stopping in his thirties instead of his twenties or teens.

"True I guess…but still, you're only fifteen and Beacon's letting you in?" Ruby pressed as she jumped slightly. Azure laughed and he was about to answer that he was never in combat school but the blonde woman practically stomped over to them, interrupting them.

"Mr. Legacy, I presume?" she asked, curtly. She waved her crop and the damages to everything sort of righted themselves like nothing was broken in the first place.

"Yes…Professor Goodwitch?" Azure asked a bit timidly, he didn't like how she said his name. One thing his siblings left for him was a bad image. His three siblings were not the most…approachable people to put it lightly, at least by the time they left Beacon. Felica said it was his job to show everyone that the not all Legacy's were bad.

"Sigh…please do try to stay out of trouble, school has not started yet. Felica and Flora wouldn't want to hear that you got in trouble before things started," the professor sighed as she adjusted her glasses though Azure thought he saw a slight smile on her lips. Azure sighed a bit in relief that he didn't get chewed out and that she didn't seem to be judging him. Though the mood changed quickly as Glynda turned to Ruby.

"And you, young lady, what were you thinking?" she snapped, making Ruby jump in surprise.

"They were trying to rob the store and me! I was just trying to help and my name is Ruby Rose," Ruby defended herself quickly and the teacher sighed but it wasn't an angry one if Azure was any judge.

"Come along, Miss Rose. I want to hear what happened in detail somewhere else…goodnight Mr. Legacy, I hope you have a pleasant stay at Beacon tomorrow," the professor said as she dragged the energetic Ruby with her. Azure smiled and waved at the helpless girl as they left before he turned to go pick up his things. Ruby waved back at him with a cheerful smile despite the fact that she was literally being dragged off.

"This just got interesting…"


	2. Impressions

I don't own RWBY and Fire Emblem etc

Hey everyone so I had a change of heart for this story, which you guys will see as you read or if you paying attention right now. I am going to do more POVs so that it's not grounded on one person and I feel like it'll make the story feel better as well. A lot of the great RWBY fics I've read have multiple POVs so I'll try it out and hopefully I get the characters down right. Review and tell me how I'm doing or if I need to study the characters more thoroughly or if I'm doing well.

Chapter 1: Impressions

 **Azure's POV**

Azure sighed as he sat amongst the many other Beacon prospects as they flew to Beacon in one of the academy's ships. He still wore his casual getup, trading his jacket from last night for a darker one. He would gear up fully for the initiation. Don't get him wrong, he would hold himself up with his family's pride but he wanted to avoid attention for now if he could. He wanted to make friends first after all so he could separate himself from his siblings' images. The last thing he needed was someone who would antagonize him or worse, try to ride his coattails to success; he hated those kinds of people with a passion. That was one of the few good things he shared with his siblings.

"Who invented these things…" he turned his gaze from the window to look across from the booth he was sitting in. The guy he shared the booth or table with had his head planted on the table, holding one of his hands to his mouth. He had been fine when they started their flight but apparently he was out of it now.

"Don't have tastes for flying do you?" Azure asked, amused. The blonde guy raised his head from the table, his blue eyes sparked with amusement and pain. Azure wasn't sure but he thought this was the same guy from before who had airsickness last night when he arrived at Patch. Still though he had to give him props for lasting almost the entire trip. He looked back out the window to see the Olympic campus of Beacon coming up quick. He'd seen it before in pictures from his siblings time there but he still felt excitement since now it was his turn to be a student there.

"Motion sickness is a…common thing in my family…don't know why but it is…" the guy offered weakly. Azure sighed and reached towards the trashcan next to their table and put it next to him.

"Make sure you aim it there instead of the table…" Azure offered before he stood up from the table. The guy offered thanks before he started putting his breakfast in the trashcan, making Azure wince at the smell. He would have stayed to talk with him more but didn't fancy the smell at all so he walked off along the deck to see how close they were to Beacon.

"Hi Azure!" he stopped suddenly and turned to see the girl from last night smiling at him from one of the booths on the ship. Across from her was a blonde girl, wearing shorts and a jacket over a simple t-shirt and a scarf, leaving little to the imagination.

"Ah…Ruby, hello," Azure greeted with a smile, he wasn't exactly surprised to see her. He had a feeling he'd see her again. Ruby waved him over to the booth she and her companion were sitting at and he went ahead and approached them.

"Name's Yang, Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's my little sister," the blonde girl introduced herself as Azure slid into the seat next to Ruby.

"It's an honor, my name's Azure Legacy," Azure introduced respectfully as always. Being a gentleman at least for greetings was drilled into him at an early age, one of the things his brothers drilled into him that was actually good in his opinion.

"Ha! So Ruby tells me you helped her out last night when those bastards tried to rob her," Yang asked with a bit of a boisterous attitude.

"I did, it wasn't the excitement I was looking for but it was interesting even if she cheated," Azure replied as he bumped Ruby playfully, making her pout and push him.

"I did not cheat!" Ruby pouted and Azure laughed, it was nice to be in friendly company. Yang laughed as well and gave Azure a hard pat on his arm, making Azure wince at her strength.

"So, Legacy huh? Isn't that the name of…Kurai, Arthur and Shira? The Horseman? I gotta say you don't look like a Legacy exactly," Yang spoke as her eyes looked him over critically. Azure smiled a bit nervously and nodded.

"Yes…they're my siblings. I'm the youngest one of us and it's my turn to come to Beacon. The correct term is really just Riders of the Apocalypse since none of us ride horses…and well…I wanted to avoid eyes coming in…" Azure said a bit bashfully. Ruby was staring at him in wonder again and he sighed.

"I'm not like them…" Azure said simply, reading their minds. Yang looked at him skeptically but she smiled and nodded.

"Well I believe you, I doubt those jerks would have helped out my sister like you did," Yang said softly, making Azure sigh in relief.

"What's wrong with your siblings?" Ruby asked innocently, and Azure sighed.

"I don't really want to talk about them…" Azure said simply and the subject was dropped thankfully. Yang gave him a sympathetic look and his eyes hit the table.

"So, I hear you got accepted to Beacon early, my sister here just got accepted last night after she stopped that robbery," Yang said with pride, making Ruby blush in embarrassment.

"Well I…the headmaster showed up and asked me if I wanted to join Beacon and I said yes more than anything!" Ruby said bashfully. Azure smiled at her and leaned back in his seat.

"Ah…I heard that Headmaster Ozpin was a bit of a…odd one, especially when it comes to taking in prospects. Not that I disapprove, after all I wasn't accepted through the conventional means either," Azure said, gaining their interest.

"Oh? How'd you get accepted, tough guy?" Yang asked. Azure chuckled and looked away a bit bashfully.

"Well…I went to the…testing at Sanctum even though I wasn't a student. Then I sort of…beat up a lot of the students there during the sparring. That plus my guardian knew the Professor overseeing it," Azure said, embarrassed. Yang started laughing and Ruby giggled with her.

"So that's why some of my friends from Sanctum were complaining about some upstart crashing the testing for Beacon," Yang said as she laughed.

"Yeah…I had a little too much fun, since a lot of them sucked…" Azure chuckled slightly at the memory. The one he really wanted to fight wasn't there to face him unfortunately since she had already passed through. He didn't even get to see her.

"You like to fight, tough guy?" Yang asked a bit hopefully and Azure smirked slightly, sensing a prospective rival forming.

"Of course, I am the rider of War…I sort of live for it," Azure said casually.

"Can we spar when we get a chance?" Ruby asked innocently and Azure smiled at her, his golden eyes alight with glee.

"Of course, I would welcome the challenge, I would like to see your skills for myself at their fullest. I wonder how much of a challenge you'd be…" Azure said as he crossed his arms, making Ruby pout.

"You're talking like I would just be a warm up…maybe I could beat you…" she pouted and Azure laughed.

"Don't misunderstand, I just want a challenge to make me give everything I have, only one has really done that and I haven't fought her for years now. I would welcome it if you're that good…defeat would just give me more fuel to better myself…if you could beat me of course," Azure said with a smile. Yang tapped the table and Azure looked up at her and saw that her eyes had shifted from lilac to red.

"I'd like to see how much prowess the Rider of War really has in battle…" she said with a confident smirk, making Azure smile.

"Of course, I would be happy to fight against you, warrior…" Azure acknowledged with a daring voice, he was looking forward to testing his powers.

"I've never heard someone desire to get their butt kicked as much as you," Yang threw back but it wasn't hostile from what Azure could tell. She understood the acknowledgement. He felt tugging on his arm and looked at Ruby who was pouting.

"Hey! What about me, am I a warrior?" she asked and Azure smiled as he thought about it. So she did know what it meant to be acknowledged by the Rider of War.

"Hm…perhaps but in truth I will withhold judgment until after I've fought with you or see what you can do. That goes for you too, Yang," Azure said, cheekily. Yang laughed and Ruby pouted again and pushed on him again.

"Hey! You saw me fight last night!" Ruby exclaimed and Azure sighed and shook his head.

"Against untrained thugs with my help," Azure said, while in truth he thought indeed that she was a warrior. Never hurt to inspire his rivals to fight harder though, at least that's what he thought. He liked the fire that sparked in Ruby's eyes, he had a feeling she'd be fun to fight.

"Attention students, we are landing now, please collect your belongings and proceed to the designated area for introductions," a voice cut through all the chatter and noise in the airship. Azure sighed and quickly got up from his seat and flashed a challenging smile at Ruby and Yang.

"If you seek to test your mettle, I'll be waiting…or if you want to talk just find me…by the way, I don't go by the name too much but feel free to call me Kamui," he said as he ran off, hearing Ruby shouting after him.

"There, Felica…that's two people I've revealed my name too…"

 **Ruby's POV**

"Why was he being so mean?!" Ruby pouted as she watched the white haired boy run off, she wanted to catch him with her semblance but she didn't want to leave Yang, and her things.

"Don't take it personally, little sis," Yang laughed as she roughed up her hair, making Ruby squirm away from her.

"What? How can you say that?" Ruby asked, aghast. She had hoped that Azure or Kamui would be a nice guy but he was a jerk to her. He kept belittling her skills and she despised that. Where did he get off having such a high horse, he was the same age as her!

"He wasn't trying to be mean, Sis. He was trying to ignite our fires for when we fight him," Yang said matter of fact like she was an expert. Ruby stared at her for a few moments, trying to understand the way she was thinking.

"He's the Rider of War, Rubes. Makes sense that he'd want to have rivals to test himself against. While he wasn't as gentle as he could have been, he's a warrior and it worked. I want to see how good he is but I'll let you go first when we get a chance," Yang said as she giggled. Ruby stared at her and then she immediately cursed herself for jumping to conclusions about the boy.

"Plus he told us his nickname. I'm pretty sure that means he likes us. He's probably awkward like you," Yang said like a sage. After all Yang was a social master, even if she used it against Ruby. Then Ruby gasped as she was hugged into her sister's chest, cutting off her oxygen.

"Aww…look at you making friends without my help and with someone as awkward as you! I bet you two will be together by the end of the semester!" Yang gushed as she hugged her sister tightly. Ruby squirmed against her and resorted to using her semblance to get out of her hold, leaving rose petals where she was. Yang blinked when her arms squeezed nothing and then she looked up as Ruby glared at her.

"Stop doing that!" Ruby shouted as she stomped her foot, feeling quite embarrassed. Yang laughed at her attempt to be threatening and motioned for them to head on out of the airship after the other prospects. Ruby soon forgot about her anger as she gushed over the weaponry of her fellow students.

 **Jaune's POV**

"Well…that certainty made me look attractive to the ladies…" Jaune groaned as he lifted his head from the trashcan, thankfully there was one close to the airship after he got off. He thought that he had hurled all he could on the airship before but apparently his stomach wanted to prove him wrong. Thankfully he didn't get any on anyone…this time, Oum knows what would happen if he did that in a ship full of immortal kids with superpowers and crazy weaponry. Seriously, why did everyone have something insane while he just had a simple sword and shield?

"At least you don't lack control…sort of…" Jaune turned to see the boy he sat with earlier. Jaune didn't know his name, he started getting rid of his breakfast before he could ask.

"Well it's harder than it looks," he said. The boy looked a bit odd to Jaune, his eyes held a sort of light that he wasn't used to and it wasn't the unnatural color that they were.

"My name's Azure Legacy," Azure introduced. Jaune blinked at the name and felt his breath leave his body. The boy in front of him didn't just say he was part of the family of crazy warriors right? He wasn't related to the three psychopaths that came through Beacon over the years right? Of course he was, no wonder he gave him an odd feeling!

"Name's Jaune Arc! Smooth, rolls of the tongue, the ladies love it," Jaune put on his false bravado and Azure frowned a bit, seeming unimpressed.

"Do they know? I guess that evens out the fact that you throw up every time you fly," Azure said light heartedly. Jaune's eyes widened at him, did he just make a joke?

"Is something wrong?" Azure asked, concerned. Jaune shook off his worries and decided to give him a chance. It wasn't fair to judge someone off of who they were related to.

"No…nothing…" Jaune said sheepishly but he didn't know what else to say. At that point Azure smiled like he had something devious in mind and Jaune had a bad feeling it had to do with him.

"That's good…now…you said your last name is Arc, right?" Azure said and Jaune might have been dense but he thought he heard excitement.

"Uh…yeah…" Jaune said awkwardly. He had a bad feeling about this but he wouldn't lie. He had to take pride in his family after all!

"That's great! A Legacy and an Arc being together to train just like our ancestors! This must be fate! I declare right now that you will be a rival that I can face with pride!" Azure said excitedly. Jaune felt his world drop at that revelation and face palmed internally.

How could he be so stupid? He forgot that his family was as old as the Legacy's! Their families were supposed to be allies but lately things had been a bit…shaky. The siblings of Azure were not exactly very…nice to put it lightly. His father said that they were all a disgrace to their ancestors. Yet this boy in front of him didn't seem to be any of the bad things he heard. He actually sounded pleased and genuine with his words. Except while having a rival was one thing…

"Wait what?" Jaune said, unimpressively. Azure frowned again and Jaune felt like a jerk after he spoke.

"I…I know my siblings haven't exactly upheld the old alliances very well…but I want to fix that!" Azure assured as his eyes dropped to the ground. Jaune kicked himself for his words. It wasn't fair to judge him by his family's actions.

"Hey I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off…that way…I was just surprised…" Jaune tried to mend whatever he had done and it seemed to work. Azure smiled slightly and nodded.

"Thanks…I know Takumi and Ryoma haven't exactly been keeping our name upheld and Camilla doesn't help either…" Azure said softly, confusing Jaune a bit.

"Wait, who?" Jaune asked. He was sure that he was talking about his siblings but those weren't their names. Azure blushed in embarrassment and laughed.

"Sorry…it's a misconception but Kurai, Arthur, Shira and Azure aren't our real names. They're sort of our nicknames or names that we picked for ourselves if you will…it's sort of a rule that we only let our friends call us by our real names," Azure explained. Jaune understood that, sort of but he didn't want to offend the boy.

"So…what's your name then?" Jaune asked without thinking. Azure looked at him for a few moments as if he was trying to figure his secrets out and it made Jaune uneasy. It was already bad enough that the boy in front of him probably took super powers to a new level. It made him feel a little insignificant, especially since he was supposed to be from a prestigious line as well. Even though he dressed casually he still gave off an air of authority. Azure seemed to think he was something special though. He wanted to tell him the truth but he found himself unable to.

"Hm…prove yourself a warrior and I'll tell you…I might even let you call me by it…" Azure said, with a challenging grin, which made Jaune feel like a deer in the headlights. Great now he was going to have to fail miserably to uphold his family's legacy in front of a Legacy (not a pun I swear). Thankfully Oum seemed to have mercy on him and before anything else happened they heard a giant explosion. Both of them quickly ran towards the commotion without thinking and saw quite a mess.

"Definitely keeping my eye on her…" Jaune heard Azure say. Along the perfect path to Beacon academy, an Olympic sized school to be sure. All the other prospects were walking along the path for the first time for many along the great paths. Except someone had apparently decided to be a little too energetic and bump into a crate full of explosives or unstable dust. There was a large crater in the path and standing in the crater was a certain girl with dark and red ripped hair.

"You Dunce! Do you know how expensive that dust was?!" came a loud, yet beautiful sounding voice. Jaune felt like he was staring at an angel. Standing at the edge of the crater, yelling at the girl in red was a girl dressed in white. She had long white/silver hair done in a ponytail on the side of her head and she had blue eyes with perfect skin, save for a scar across one of her eyes. Jaune was busy stargazing at her until he was elbowed in the side by Azure.

"You done?" Azure asked with crossed arms, looking unimpressed and a little angry if Jaune was any judge. Apparently during his stargazing, Jaune did not realize that the "angel" he saw had stormed off after a girl in black. Apparently everyone else had gone off too since it was just Jaune, Azure and the depressed girl in red and black.

"Talk about a bad first day…come on Ruby," Azure said as he stepped forward and offered a hand to the girl in red, Ruby. She took his hand with small thanks as he helped her out of the crater.

"She was certainty a character…though I suppose that's what happens when you blow up the dust of a Schnee…" Azure said with a dry tone. Ruby hung her head down in shame at that.

"I didn't even see it! Why would she have that much dust anyway if it was unstable?!" Ruby asked, exasperated. Jaune sighed and walked up and tried to make light of the situation.

"Well you started better than me, Crater Face…" Jaune said with a smile. Ruby and Azure both looked at him with surprise. Jaune thought he made a mistake but Azure started laughing and Ruby stomped her feet, cutely.

"Better to be in a Crater than to be a vomit boy!" Ruby threw back with a smile as she joined Azure in laughter. Jaune's eyes widened and he immediately tried to defend himself.

"Hey! That's not fair! Motion sickness is a common thing! Plus that Airship kept swerving and twisting throughout the flight!" Jaune threw out, quickly.

"Come on, let's try to find our way to the auditorium before we lose out," Azure said when he calmed down. Jaune groaned in resignation but he felt better when he saw Ruby give him a thankful smile. The nickname became bearable after that. It seemed he had made two friends now. He went after them as they walked along one of the paths around Beacon.

"So…aren't you two a little young to be here?" Jaune asked absent-mindedly as the three made their way around campus. Ruby and Azure had been talking about weapons and fighting, he didn't exactly follow so he decided to ask about something that was bugging him.

"Well…yes…we got accepted early due to our skill," Azure said casually as he turned to look at him.

"B-But that doesn't mean I want to be treated differently!" Ruby added in, making Jaune chuckle softly. After that, a sort of uncomfortable silence went through the three and Ruby suddenly pulled something from her back.

"I got this thing!" she said proudly as she pulled a slot and the contraption in her hands extended and folded into a large scythe.

"Whoa! Is that a scythe?" he exclaimed in surprise. It was unnerving how a fifteen year old had such a big and deadly weapon.

"Yes! This is my beloved, Crescent Rose! It turns into a high-powered sniper too!" Ruby said proudly as she caressed her weapon lovingly. Jaune felt insignificant and Azure just laughed at it.

"Hey, Kamui! What about your sword? It looks cool!" Ruby prompted. Jaune noticed the name she called Azure and assumed it was his real name that he was talking about. Though he decided to respect his wishes out of respect and fear…and not use it until he was told.

"Ah…yes…my Yato sword…" Azure pulled his sword out of its sheath and Jaune marveled at the golden blade. It was a longsword, the hilt was gold with a azure colored wrapping around it with a red gem in the pommel and a slightly longer guard. The blade was long and sharp. The the blade itself seemed to give off a…faint white light. There were a few symbols etched into the blade itself, it was certainly a sword to marvel at.

"Wow! It's so cool! It's like a classic mixed with magic!" Ruby gushed and Azure chuckled softly and held it up.

"My Yato was forged from my very soul, it took me months to forge this thing, it's supposed to reflect me in a way, at least that's what they said…" Azure said proudly as he swung it around easily before he placed it back in its sheath.

"From your soul? How do you do that? Can you show me? I forged my beloved myself and I've never heard of forging something from your soul, can you teach me?" Ruby asked, excitedly. Azure chuckled but he looked deep in thought at her request.

"Hm I don't think so…I'm not exactly aloud to…" he offered in a depressed tone. Ruby seemed to pick up on it and Jaune did too but before they said anything Azure quickly brought one of his bags up and unzipped it.

"Of course a warrior needs range too, so I had this made," He pulled a case out of the bag, a gun case to be exact. He popped open the locks and then he opened it up and pulled a rather large shotgun out of the case. It was like something out of a certain videogame that Jaune loved to play.

"What is it with everyone here and crazy weaponry?" Jaune thought with a sigh. His own weaponry felt completely pale and insignificant.

"Wow! Where'd you get it! I never saw this before!" Ruby asked with glee, clearly being way too into weapons. Azure let her hold the gun after assuring Jaune that it wasn't loaded. The gun looked a bit big in Ruby's hands, not as big as her Crescent Rose but still. Yet she held the thing like a pro and aimed it and cocked the slot, laughing at the action.

"It's like something out of a game!" she said as she handed it back to Azure who placed it back in its case.

"It sort of is…though it was designed to be a shotgun, I had it modified to work like a rifle too…sort of…I call it strike, for lack of imagination…" Azure said, embarrassed. Ruby laughed and complimented his craftsmanship and Jaune caught the boy blush. They were both cute, Jaune wondered if they'd be together somewhere down the line. Before pondering further though they both turned to Jaune, making him meep unimpressively.

"Well? What's your weapon?" Ruby asked, expectantly, eyeing his sword. Jaune sighed and drew his sword out. It was a simple looking sword with a blue hilt and a gold guard. He picked his sheath up and hit the mechanism and it extended into a white, gleaming shield with his family crest stamped on it.

"Nothing, fancy like you guys but still. The Crocea Mors, I didn't build it or forge it like you guys…it's…a hand me down…" Jaune said in a dejected way. Compared to Ruby's scythe-sniper and Azure's Chaoseater and Strike, his weapons just felt inadequate.

"Hey, it's a classic, don't sell it short. Just because it's not flashy doesn't mean it isn't good," Ruby said supportively.

"A sword is a weapon of honor, and it's easier to swing a sword then to swing a scythe," Azure said, earning a shove from Ruby. All three of them laughed and then Azure pulled his sleeve back to look at his watch and he froze.

"Um…where is the auditorium?" he asked, fearfully. Ruby and Jaune both looked around, feeling as lost as before.

"I was following you guys," Ruby defended.

"I've never been here before," Jaune added. Azure sighed and pulled his sleeve over his watch.

"If I read the schedule correctly…the introductions start…in ten minutes…" Azure said calmly. All three of them were silent at that point and then in a flash the three ran, trying to figure out where they were meant to go before they were late.

 **Azure's POV**

Azure sat next to Ruby in the bleachers placed in the auditorium. They had found their way to the place with little issue, thanks to Ruby's semblance of speed. Fortunately they got there with time to spare as well. Ruby had practically dragged him over to sit with her sister though before he could go off again. They left Jaune behind as Ruby dragged him to the seats. Azure wanted to talk to Jaune more but he didn't oppose talking with Ruby. Yang was chipping into the conversation as well but she was busy talking to the girl next to her or trying to get her to talk to her.

Now that was how it was at first, for the first few minutes. Except now the situation had changed, a lot. Weiss Schnee, the girl whose dust, Ruby had ignited had apparently found them somehow and had decided to reprimand the girl, again. Ruby was hiding behind him at the moment as Yang got in the heiress's face. The blonde and the heiress were really getting into an argument and Azure just sighed at the situation he was in the middle of. While he liked fighting, he wasn't really a drama guy. He liked to stay away from fights that didn't involve weapons or aura.

"Hey! Leave my sister alone, Princess!" Yang yelled, her anger flaring.

"How dare you! You will address me with the proper respect, a Schneee deserves!" Weiss shouted back. Fortunately the crowd around them seemed to be just as loud as them since they weren't making a scene…yet.

"Don't you go getting all high and mighty! You're going to be a student here just like any of us, so don't think you're better!" Yang shouted back and Azure's eyes widened when he saw the blonde's hair flare like fire for a moment.

"Is that normal, Ruby?" Azure asked his friend, who was still using him as a shield in case the heiress got by her sister.

"Yeah, her semblance is this cool fire aura that makes her hair light up. Except it tends to activate when she gets mad. You really don't want to be on the receiving end of it," Ruby said shyly as she hid her face into his side. Azure blushed and tried to worm away from her but she just moved with him. While he was used to hugs from girls, especially Hinoka and Elise, they were his family so he felt very awkward.

"She should at least apologize for the damages, I should charge her for the damages!" Weiss yelled and Azure sighed as he turned again to the verbal fight.

"If you were paid for the damages will you leave her alone and stop pestering her?" Azure asked as Yang was reeling back to punch the heiress. As much as he wanted to see a fight, he knew Ruby didn't want her sister to get in trouble. The three girls all stopped and looked at him like he was crazy.

"Hmph…yes…but I doubt they have the lien to pay for my dust. It was all highly concentrated and hard to refine and it was a whole crate," Weiss said as she eyed Azure, making him cringe. Yang growled at her and Azure groaned in annoyance at the heiress's attitude, he hated rich snobs. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his bankcard and offered it to her.

"How much?" he asked, swallowing his pride for his friends. Weiss stared at him like he was crazy but she pulled her scroll out and typed a few things in and held it up.

"Ten thousand Lien for the full crate," she said and Azure just prompted her to take the card. She looked at him like he was crazy but she snatched his card out of his hand.

"Hey w-wait, you don't have to do that," Ruby said and Yang said something similar but he just smiled at them and shook his head. Weiss swiped the card over the scroll and then she handed the card and the scroll to Azure.

"It needs clearance for the transaction…" Weiss said in a stiff voice like she was surprised he had the funds. Azure took the card and the scroll and punched in the code to clear the transaction. Then he gave the scroll back to the heiress, who took it looking dumbfounded.

"There…now leave them alone…" Azure said curtly, pocketing his card. Weiss stared at him for a few moments before she returned to her normal attitude and stomped off. Ruby tugged on his arm again with a worried expression.

"You didn't need to give up all your money for me…" Ruby said guiltily.

"Yeah…we could have paid it…" Yang said, guilt clearly in her voice. Azure smiled, happy that they weren't going to just take and leave. It meant they were good people.

"Don't worry, you're my friends. Besides that wasn't much of a dent to me. I'm a Legacy remember? That comes with some perks…" Azure said with distaste. While it was nice to have, he disliked using the money his siblings earned. He hated having to rely on them; no doubt Arthur would have a field day with him when he sees that charge. He'd just ignore his messages as usual.

"Still…thanks, tough guy. Not many people would just volunteer to pay that kind of money for us," Yang said as she punched his shoulder, not as hard this time.

"Repay me by not disappointing me when we finally fight," Azure replied, warmly. Yang and Ruby both laughed and everything was right again, hopefully. At that point, Azure realized that everyone was filing out though.

"Um…did we just miss the speech?" he asked, casually. He saw Professor Goodwitch and Headmaster Ozpin standing at the podium and he face palmed, hard.

"Huh? Shit!" Yang cursed as she hit the bench she was sitting on. Azure groaned in annoyance and when he felt Ruby grab his arm again he both blushed and sighed.

"How dare you! You three made me miss most of the speech! Now how am I going to prepare for the initiation?!" the voice of Weiss hit his ears again.

"You're the one who kept bugging my sister about your stupid dust! Then you made my friend give up ten thousand lien! Now you're yelling t us again?!" Yang shouted back, outraged. Azure sighed and then he nudged Ruby to move.

"Come on…use your semblance to get us away please…I think they'll be at it for some time…" Azure said, exasperated. Ruby looked at him and then she smiled and then in a blur they were off of the bleachers and next to the podium.

"Ah…Miss Rose, Mr. Legacy," the calm voice of Ozpin addressed them. Azure gave Ruby a look and she blushed in embarrassment and laughed. Azure did not particularly want to talk to the headmaster, he unnerved him like his brother.

"I trust you two will do well to not disgrace the school for letting you two in early?" he asked as he lifted his coffee mug to take a sip. Azure's eyes looked away from the passive man, feeling like he could see right through him.

"Of course, we're going to be hunters!" Ruby spoke for them, thankfully. Azure could talk to Professor Goodwitch since he was pretty sure she was giving him a chance because of Felica but Ozpin just made him plain nervous.

"You two best rest up then. The initiation tomorrow will be very taxing if you are not careful," Ozpin said simply as he walked off, his cane tapping the ground with every step, why did he even need a cane?

"Mr. Legacy? In case you were not told, the special rule is in effect for you so plan accordingly for tomorrow," Professor Goodwtich said strictly though Azure thought he saw…sympathy in her eyes?

"Special rule?" Ruby asked, confused and Azure sighed in annoyance. Of course that was how things were going to go. He cursed his siblings for dealing him this plan. Fine then, he would do things there way and he'd come out on top.

"Yes…Professor…" Azure replied respectfully. He tried to keep an open mind with Goodwitch, Felica and Flora always told him that she wouldn't judge him because of his relations. That and Felica said she was jealous that Goodwitch's aura stopped her in her twenties even though she stopped there too. He had to believe them; after all they went to class with her. It was a little unnerving that many of the teachers and huntsman today went to class with his siblings and the ones who raised him.

"Very well, have pleasant evening Mr. Legacy, Miss Rose," Goodwitch said as she left, walking after the headmaster.

"What'd she mean by special rule, Kamui?" Ruby asked, worriedly and Azure just shook his head at her.

"Just something my siblings left for me…" Azure said tiredly. He didn't realize that the hours had passed by so quickly as he looked at the windows to see the sunlight entering it's twilight.

"Hey, what locker did you get put with? Didn't you say your locker was close to mine?" Ruby asked as she brought her scroll up to check something. Azure pulled his own scroll up and looked at the message he got days ago. He confirmed the message and showed it to Ruby and she smiled and hugged him, making him blush.

"Thanks for helping me out! Sorry for calling you mean! I'll see you later Kamui, Yang's calling me!" Ruby disappeared in a shower of rose petals. Azure smiled and turned around to see his friend run out of the auditorium with her sister. Yang gave him a wave and he waved her off as the sisters' left. The auditorium was desolate after that; Azure was in there, alone. He turned to look back at the twilight sunlight coming through the windows and he sighed before he smiled brightly.

"Well this is going to be a lot of fun…"


	3. Initiation

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem and etc

Hey everyone, man this turned out way longer than I though. So I am trying to get all the way through to the initiation story arc to set everything up. After that updates are going to be slower since I have to think of things and make sure they make sense. Plus I have exams coming up. If you haven't guessed it yet, I am doing the POVs of Azure Jaune and Ruby only since that's all I trust myself to do right. Also if anyone is finding Azure's name thing confusing that will be addressed in this chapter. I won't be offended if something is off, I am usually tired when I write and this chapter especially is large so there must be something I missed when I went through it. Anyway enjoy and suggestions would be nice and constructive criticism is always welcome just be gentle.

Chapter 2: Initiation

 **Ruby's POV**

"Yang! Stop saying that I need to get more friends!" Ruby complained as she sped away from her sister before she could get smothered again. Yang laughed at her and Ruby pouted as she ran up to her locker. She dropped her things off last night and she hated being without her beloved.

"I'm just saying Rubes, it wouldn't be bad if you went out on your own and found some other friends," Yang pressed as she started ruffling up Ruby's hair, making her squirm and move away. Ruby pulled her Crescent Rose out of her locker and clutched it to her as she moved away from her sister, out of fear of losing oxygen.

"I don't need to make friends to grow up, I drink milk! All I need is my beloved and milk and cookies!" Ruby defended herself. Yang laughed at her and Ruby blushed and would have stomped away but she looked at the locker next to hers and looked around. She didn't see Kamui anywhere She saw some bags next to it, so he must have come by earlier but she didn't see any sign of her golden eyed friend. Unfortunately Yang used her distraction to grab her.

"Looking for your "friend"? Does he count as something you don't need?" Yang asked playfully and Ruby blushed at the implication. Yang prided herself on being super protective yet here she was trying to be Miss Matchmaker. She just met the boy two days ago! Sure Ruby was affectionate but she was just being friendly to the ones she cared for.

"Yang!" Ruby cried out but she laughed as Yang started rubbing her hand into her head. After a few moments though Ruby used her semblance to get away from her sister again. Yang looked around for her and turned around to see Ruby on the other side of the room.

"Stop trying to make me lose my breath!" Ruby shouted but she wasn't mad at all. She knew Yang was just playing with her and trying to make her grow up. Ruby was so awkward with people though! She couldn't approach people like Yang could, she had to let them come to her otherwise she might drive them away. She just wanted to make a team with Yang, Jaune and Kamui then be done with it.

"Hey Rubes!" speaking of her friends. Ruby turned and smiled as Jaune approached, holding his scroll in front of him.

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby greeted. Jaune gave her a nervous smile, as he looked around at all the lockers. He was carrying his bags with him so he probably hadn't found his locker yet. That wasn't good; initiation was going to start pretty soon!

"Hey Rubes…uh…do you know where locker 636 is?" Jaune asked as he scratched the back of his head. Ruby thought about it for a moment and she pointed down the aisle her sister was in.

"I think it's this way, come on!" she took his hand before he could protest and pulled him along.

"Hey Yang, this is Jaune, Jaune this is my sister Yang!" Ruby said quickly as they passed by her sister. Yang just gave a small wave to the two as they passed by. Ruby looked at the lockers she passed, trying to find the right locker. She left the aisle with Jaune in toe and then she suddenly went behind Jaune in a flash of rose petals.

"H-Hey! What's wrong Ruby?" Jaune asked, disoriented. Ruby just peered out from behind him and pointed forward. Weiss was standing there; she hadn't noticed her yet thankfully since she was busy talking to a red headed girl in golden Greek inspired armor.

"Hey ladies name's Jaune Arc! So I hear we'll be getting teams today, would you like to team up with me? How about you Snow Angel?" Jaune asked, suddenly adopting a flirty tone. Ruby's eyes would have bugged out of her eyes in surprise. What the hell was he doing?! Didn't he know that Weiss was the one that had it out for her right now? Apparently he forgot since he left her behind and walked up to the two ladies. Ruby quickly hid behind the lockers but she peered out to watch. She felt someone rest their head on top of hers but she knew it was Yang since she saw the blonde hair cascading down in front of her.

"Hey Jaune!" the redheaded girl cut in front of Jaune but he kind of ignored her and went after Weiss. Ruby couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was he trying to flirt?! And was that Pyrrha Nikos?!

"Sigh…what makes you think you will be on a team with us?" Weiss asked, annoyed. Ruby felt bad for Jaune, he didn't know what he was walking into.

"Poor Vomit Boy doesn't know what he's getting into," Yang said. Ruby screamed internally since she just said that! The blonde boy didn't seem to read the writing on the wall though.

"Come on, cut me some slack, maybe we can be partners?" Jaune said smoothly or at least he thought he was apparently. Ruby wanted to slam her head into the wall at the scene in front of her.

"We'll be getting our teams today too, not just our partners," Pyrrha added and then Jaune finally turned his attention to her. Ruby heard Yang sigh in disgust above her.

"Well then would you like to team up with Team Jaune? Miss um…" Jaune trailed off, not knowing her name. Wait, how did he not know her name? She was Pyrrha Nikos, champion of the Vytal Tournament four times in a row! Ruby really couldn't believe what was happening it was almost heresy!

"DO you even know who you're talking to?" Weiss cut in, sharply. Ruby pictured steam coming out of the girl's ears.

"Um…no…not really…" Jaune said nervously. Pyrrha smiled at him from what Ruby could tell, wait what?

"She's Pyrrha Nikos! First in her combat school class!" Weiss shouted, exasperated. Pyrrha giggled shyly and her eyes went to the ground.

"Well technically I am actually tied for th-" Pyrrha's gentle voice was cut off as Weiss droned on.

"She's the champion of the Mistral Tournament, four times in a row! She's one of the finest warriors of our age!" Weiss exclaimed at the blonde, dolt.

"Why four times? Doesn't that get old?" Jaune asked innocently. Ruby laughed at that, despite how impossible it was to not hear of her, she had to give him that one.

"Well I like to challenge myself and grow stronger, I just end up wining a lot," Pyrrha said kindly. Ruby wished it were that easy; she made it sound like she didn't try.

"She's the girl on the front of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!" Weiss shouted, clearly angered now. Realization seemed to hit Jaune like a hammer finally and Ruby would have laughed if she weren't worried. Yang had no reservations though.

"Oh that's you?!" Jaune asked, surprised. Pyrrha giggled and nodded though she looked a bit…sad?

"Well yeah, the cereal isn't good for you though in my opinion," Pyrrha joked and Jaune laughed. Ruby and Yang laughed too, Pyrrha seemed easy to approach.

"Do you understand now why any attempts to team up with us is futile?" Weiss asked with an arrogant smirk. Jaune's shoulders seemed to slump and Ruby was about to go help him out but Pyrrha seemed to beat her to it.

"Don't worry Jaune, I think you'll make a great leader," she said kindly and Jaune smiled at her. There was a small cough and then Pyrrha's eyes went up and suddenly then her face lit up in a bright smile and Ruby followed her gaze and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

Standing, overlooking the scene with his arms crossed was a boy dressed to impress. He was dressed up in agile looking silver armor over black under armor from neck to toe. He had a blue cloak around his shoulders pinned together by a button with a flaming sword symbol on it. Except what was more drawing though was who it was. His flame like eyes and white hair gave away whom it really was but it was like Ruby was looking at another person.

"Kamui?" Ruby asked.

 **Azure's POV**

"Well I didn't think I'd find you like this, Spartan," Azure joked as he stood up from his leaned position. He laughed at the expressions on his friends' faces. If he knew he could create such shock just by not wearing his armor for a few days, he'd have done it years ago! The looks on their faces were priceless! Still though he wasn't too worried about that at the moment, he was more concerned with Pyrrha.

"I didn't think I'd find you this way either, Rider of War," Pyrrha greeted with a warm smile. Weiss was darting her eyes back and forth as confused as everyone else and Ruby's mouth was agape. Azure moved towards Pyrrha quickly and then she swept him into a warm embrace.

"It's good to see you again, Kamui," Pyrrha said as she hugged him tight. It felt awkward since she was taller than him but Azure smiled into the embrace and hugged his friend back tightly.

Pyrrha had been Azure's friend for some time, during his stay in Mistral. During one of the tournaments she was in, she fought against his sister and ended up defeating her. They met later that day and had their own private match with no prying eyes. The battle ended in a tie, neither of them were able to gain a win. They'd been friends ever since and they deemed each other their most powerful rival. They've never fought since that time though despite how many times they wanted to.

"I'm happy to see you again too Pyrrha," he said as he parted from the hug. He turned to Ruby and Yang and waved at them, sheepishly.

"Does this pertain more to your image of a Legacy, Yang?" he asked, embarrassed. Yang shook out of her stupor when he asked and she laughed, making him confused and then the blonde pushed Ruby forth.

"The look on your face, Rubes. You're looking at him like he's your prince in shining armor," Yang joked and Azure's cheeks immediately heated up at that. What was going on?! He didn't have time for romance didn't people know that?

"I didn't get to see you at Sanctum, everyone is still talking about how you snuck in and started beating my classmates in the sparing ring," Pyrrha said, bringing Azure's attention back to her.

"Well…yeah…I was looking for you but when they said you already passed. I had to find some excitement," he said sheepishly and Pyrrha laughed heartedly.

"Sorry, I thought you might show up but I wasn't sure. Your sister isn't the most…forthcoming with your whereabouts," Pyrrha said sadly and Azure sighed in annoyance. Leave it to Shira to mess everything up, why was she even there again?

"Ok! What's going on here?!" Weiss screamed as she got in between Azure and Pyrrha. She was panting slightly from the act as she rubbed her temples to calm herself. Her posture returned and she turned to Azure to address him, this was going to be good.

"So…you're a Legacy?" Weiss asked, politely. Azure did a full bow to her as befitting of someone of his lineage.

"Yes…my name is Azure Legacy. Youngest of the current Riders of the Apocalypse," Azure introduced himself fully. Weiss crossed her arms and Azure shared a look with Pyrrha and Jaune before looking back at the heiress.

"I see…well then if I may be so bold would it be possible for you to team up with Miss Nikos and myself?" Weiss asked, politely but Azure saw the scheming in her eyes. She wanted to have the strongest team in Beacon, he applauded her ambition but she wasn't what he wanted really, even if he could. He crossed his arms at her and smiled slightly.

"Well…I kind of have my team in mind already…" he said as he turned to look at Ruby and Yang. Ruby's eyes lit up and she smiled at him and he returned it. He sighed sadly though before he continued on.

"If I was aloud to have one anyway…as I'm sure you're aware Weiss…I don't get a partner or a team…" he muttered sadly. Ruby and Yang looked surprised and Jaune was just confused. Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder in comfort and Weiss just groaned and sighed.

"Ah yes…your family has been given a special rule, allowing them to work alone without a team for their time at Beacon," Weiss said plainly.

"Wait what? How is that a thing?" Yang asked. Azure groaned before he began to explain his position.

"My brothers, Kurai and Arthur messed things up. Camilla wasn't any help either. Kurai got his entire team and most of their sister team killed on a mission, led them right into a deathtrap. Arthur could not work well with his team at all due to the delusion that he's supposed to be a leader and everyone is subordinate to him. In order to avoid danger to life, a rule was put into play that every Legacy would be observed. If they showed evidence of not being able to work with others than they would be forced to go through hunter school solo. No partner, no team, just them officially anyway when it came to grades. My sister did that and it was probably for the best. They've judged that I will be in that boat as well," Azure explained, sadly. He had hoped that he would be able to get out of the rule, he wanted a team but apparently Beacon thought he was too dangerous to others.

"But that's not fair, how are you supposed to get through everything? I thought you have to go on team missions?" Jaune asked. Before Azure could say anything, Weiss picked it up, much to his annoyance.

"The Legacy's are aloud to work on missions with any team of their choosing. This way they are not tied to a team and are graded separately from the team. And as for how they are able to survive without teams…well as much as they have things to be desired, they are extremely powerful and efficient at killing Grimm," Weiss said curtly, making Azure sigh, he didn't like being grouped up with his siblings.

"So you can still be on our team then?" Ruby asked and her statement surprised Azure as she took one of his hands into her own, making him blush.

"The way I see it, everyone is your partner then. That sounds cool!" Ruby said and Azure thought about the logic behind that and shrugged.

"Yeah, tough guy, so what if you're not going to officially be on a team, you'll be able to work with us whenever you want," Yang added in as she hit his arm, making him wince again.

"It will be an honor to work with you finally, Kamui. Besides we still have to have another duel," Pyrrha said. Jaune just gave him thumbs up, awkwardly, making him disappointed.

"Hm! He'll only work with the strongest teams and that'll be mine," Weiss added in her two cents and Azure laughed. He had succeeded then, he had separated himself from his siblings' legacy.

"It will be an honor to fight alongside all of you…there's one problem though…" he said as he strode away from them. He went to his locker and pulled his Strike out of it and smiled at them daringly.

"I only fight alongside warriors, think you can earn the right for the Rider of War to acknowledge you as warriors and even fight alongside him?" he asked with a smile as he started loading his dust shells into the gun before he cocked the gun and slung it over his shoulder.

"Yeah! I'll show you!" Ruby piped up first without hesitation.

"I'm sure you'll see that I've only improved since we last fought, during initiation," Pyrrha said confidently.

"Yeah, Tough Guy, I'll show you how much of a warrior I am and if you still don't believe me then we'll take it to the arena!" Yang boasted as she armed her gauntlets and slammed them together with a loud clank. Weiss sighed in disgust at the blonde before she cleared her throat.

"As a Schnee it will be an honor to earn praise from the Rider of War…but can you earn my praise?" Weiss asked challengingly. Azure smirked at the heiress; maybe she was more than meets the eye. His eyes turned to Jaune though, making him jump.

"I'll be watching you, especially, Jaune. Ruby, Yang, sorry but when it comes time to spar, I want to spar him first," Azure said as he pointed to the blonde boy, making his eyes widen in surprise.

"Uh…um…sure…" Jaune said nervously. Azure tilted his head in confusion at him but he shrugged it off. He looked at the clock in the locker room and his eyes widened when he saw it. Damn, he was usually good at keeping track of time too.

"Right…well…lets make it on time to Initiation first…" he said calmly and then everyone slowly absorbed what he said. He sprinted off, out of the room, his new friends trailing or scrambling along as well.

"Come on, Kamui!" Azure looked to his left when he felt someone take his hand, though he knew it was Ruby.

"Hey! What about us?" Yang shouted.

"The Initiation is starting at the cliffs! See you there!" Ruby shouted back and then she pulled Azure along with her semblance in a blur, leaving their friends behind. When they stopped and Azure shook himself out of disorientation he found that they were at the Beacon cliffs. The other thing was that the other students and even Professor Goodwitch was staring at them like they popped out of thin air. They weren't exactly wrong all things considered. Of course Ozpin was as passive as ever.

"Ah, very good you made it on time, please take positions on your designated pads, fortunately, you are both…the batch of pads not filled, just pick any of the two," Ozpin commented casually like he was used to crazy stuff. If this was his normal, Azure was scared to think what his crazy days were.

"Come on Azure!" Ruby said as she pulled him off to the empty pads. He blushed at her contact, especially since she was doing it in front of their entire year! He shook off his embarrassment though and took position on his pad while Ruby took the one next to him. He checked his belt to make sure he brought his extra shells and tightened his shotguns strap so it wouldn't fall if he had to really move.

"Now then if everyone is rea-ah we have a few latecomers," Ozpin actually chuckled and Azure turned to see Jaune and the others had caught up finally. Some of them gave him and Ruby small glares and Azure chuckled along with Ruby.

"Now then, if everyone is ready…you will all be launched into the forest at random locations. Your job will be to find a partner and together you must find relics hidden in the forest," Ozpin spoke. Azure looked over the cliff, into Emerald Forest and he felt excited, he'd finally get to actually fight!

"Where are the relics?" Jaune asked, Azure detected fear in his voice. Every warrior needed fear otherwise they were idiots but not shaking in your boots fear. You were liable to get killed just as easily for that compared to being too confident.

"They are not out in the open I assure you, head to the northern end of the forest and all will be clear. Part of being a Hunter means you must learn how to navigate and investigate on the field and figure out how to land from the air... Take care; the Emerald Forest does have very real danger lurking inside it. If you do not fight, you will die. As for how your partners will be selected, the first person you make eye contact with shall be the person you are partnered with for the next four years," Ozpin finished and Azure could have sworn he was smirking as he drank his coffee.

"What kind of a rule is th-ahhh!" a nameless student screamed as she was flung into the deep before she could finish.

"Get ready guys!" Azure shouted to his friends. Right as he finished though, Jaune was shot off, screaming a bit too helplessly for his liking. Then Pyrrha who was next to him was shot off. He looked at Ruby and gave her a two-finger salute.

"See you on the other side Ruby," right as he finished his pad launched him into the air. He took the launch with stride, being used to flying or being high off the ground. He caught sight of Jaune flailing around in the air and sighed, hoping he would be ok. Weiss hopping around on glyphs caught his eye as he started his descent.

"Here goes…" he extended his arms and legs out, allowing the air to catch on his limbs and slow his fall a bit. He tilted his body to the side and angled himself to move to the left, he was aiming towards a particularly tall tree. He focused his aura into his limbs to protect them as he drew his sword. As he neared the tree he sank his blade into the tree and used his momentum to swing to the side, pulling his blade out at the same time. He grit his teeth as his limbs bared the force of the sudden stop but he was used to it. Using his legs he kicked off the tree, towards the ground.

"Time for some fun…" he spotted a Beowolf and he quickly sheathed his blade and brought his Strike to bear. He focused his aura on his legs and then he used the Beowolf as a landing pad. The Grimm was caught by surprise so it hit the ground from his landing but before it could do anything, Azure pointed the gun down at it and pulled the trigger, splattering its head with the shell. The rider then cocked the gun again and looked around, seeing a few other Beowolves growling or snarling at him. He just smiled at them and stepped off of the corpse he was on.

"Let's play…" he said as he cocked his gun.

 **Jaune's POV**

"How did I get stuck in this position?" Jaune lamented as he hung from a tree. First he botched the launch, no doubt looking like a fool in front of everyone and then he spent the entire fall, wailing and flailing around like a fish out of water. He probably would have been a splat on the ground too if he wasn't pinned to the tree he was hanging from. He looked up at what had pinned him, it was a spear adorned with red and gold like a certain redhead he met recently.

"Well if the Grimm don't kill me, Azure will…" Jaune gulped as he thought about his new friend. While he respected and hell even admired the boy, he scared him shitless to put it lightly. Well to be fair everyone there scared him but Azure did it better than most so far. The guy really believed that he could give him a proper challenge. Jaune wished that he'd come forward with the fact that he…didn't really have any formal training whatsoever. But he couldn't…the way he looked at him, Azure looked at him with such respect and Jaune well…he liked it.

"And to top it all off…I probably pissed off Snow Angel…" Jaune sighed again. He had actually stumbled upon Weiss or really she stumbled upon him. Of course she played it off like she didn't see him, even going as far as closing her eyes upon seeing him or helping him down. Then of course Ruby had stumbled in and Weiss had claimed her as her partner, there went another person Jaune would have wanted to work with. His list of prospective partners was running thin.

"Jaune?" Jaune's head snapped up as he saw none other than Pyrrha walk out from some of the foliage.

"Hey Pyrrha," Jaune waved and the girl giggled at him and Jaune blushed.

"So…is there still room on Team Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as her green eyes met his. Jaune smiled gratefully, despite her fame and skill, this girl was nice and approachable.

"If you're ok with being partnered to an insensitive jerk," Jaune replied and Pyrrha laughed before she waved her hand. Suddenly Jaune felt the spear move somehow and he yelped as he fell from the tree and hit the ground with a thud.

"Ow…" Jaune groaned as he sat up from the ground and shook his head. He blinked a few times and saw Pyrrha giggling at him again before she offered him her hand. He took it gratefully as she helped him stand.

"I'm surprised you're with me and not Azure," Jaune groaned as he shook his limbs so they wouldn't be sore later.

"Kamui can take care of himself, don't worry about him, besides you heard him he can work with us whenever he wants," Pyrrha said and Jaune smiled at the thought.

"Well let's get going, shall we?" Jaune asked with a mock bow and Pyrrha let out a small laugh before she led the way through the foliage, Jaune following close. They forged on for a few moments in silence, the blonde would have liked to say something but he had no idea what to say to the Spartan.

"So…Kamui seems to have taken a liking to you very fast. He doesn't just declare anyone a rival right off the bat without even fighting them," Pyrrha commented as she drew her weapon and started slashing at some of the tougher foliage.

"Huh? Oh um yeah…I just met him yesterday actually. He seems like a nice guy, if a bit uh…violent…" Jaune said meekly, surprisingly Pyrrha just chuckled slightly before adding her piece.

"Yes that's Kamui. He hasn't changed too much over the years. Don't worry; he's not as violent as you might think. He's just not…very good at socializing so he relies on what he knows when he talks. When he gets more comfortable around you he starts opening up more. That girl, Ruby, seems to have already found her way past his walls since I heard her freely saying his true name without his objection," Pyrrha said softly and Jaune saw her smile gently.

"So…how do you two know each other?" Jaune asked, he had no idea what else to talk about so he just kept pursuing the subject. Pyrrha smiled at the memory and Jaune thought she had a nice smile along with a laugh.

"Oh, I fought his sister at one of the tournaments in Mistral. She wasn't a huntress at the time; she was about to start her time at Beacon I believe. It was my first tournament win actually; you can imagine the fame I got. This random girl strolls in and defeats a member of the legendary Legacies," Pyrrha sighed at the memory and Jaune laughed.

"Well with skill comes fame," Jaune added in and Pyrrha sighed in agreement but then her face brightened up again.

"I suppose but that's how I met Kamui. His sister, Shira wasn't…nice about her loss to put it lightly and said some pretty mean things to me. I didn't let it get to me since she was just being a poor sport, feeling so entitled and such. Nonetheless, later I met a boy, who apologized for what Shira said to me," Pyrrha said happily.

"Azure?" Jaune theorized, it wasn't hard.

"Yes, well he didn't have that nickname when I met him then. He was just Kamui back then. It was quite a surprise for me since I admittedly thought that all Legacies were a bit arrogant and entitled, I had heard of Arthur and Kurai before as well. Except Kamui was different, he actually had humility and in my opinion he is the only one who does his name justice," Pyrrha said fondly.

"So…what'd you two do?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha laughed and Jaune had to try to not get lost in it. Everything about her was so pretty and perfect, similar to the Snow Angel, minus the attitude.

"We fought, of course. Kamui wanted to test himself against me since I had bested one of his siblings. He said that our friendship would be cemented through our blades. I was intrigued by him as I said before, he had a certain respect and honor to him that was to be admired. So later we met up in private and we clashed," Pyrrha said. Jaune listened to it all with wonder, he was finding himself becoming more and more weary and guilty.

"So…who won?" Jaune asked, interested as he tried to get out of his self-pity.

"It was a tie. He was a lot harder to fight than his sister. He was a much better swordsman than I was but I had versatility over him thanks to Milo and Aukouo. Still though even then when one of us got an advantage the other managed to counter. Even with our semblances, neither of us could pull anything too decisive. It went on for hours until we both collapsed, laughing. Kamui was right, our friendship was cemented from that and he declared me a warrior and a rival, his finest one," Pyrrha said fondly and Jaune smiled at the story. Pyrrha had such a beautiful smile on her face and Jaune had to kick himself for staring again, last thing he needed was her thinking he was a pervert or something. He was already on the Snow Angel's bad side.

"He became the little brother I never had after that. We haven't fought since then but I believe that we will again, soon now that we're together again," Pyrrha finished and then she giggled and Jaune realized that he must have been awestruck again.

"That's enough of a history lesson I believe, the rest you'll learn later. How about you tell me a bit about yourself now? You're an Arc right? The statue in front of the school is supposed to be one of your ancestors right?" she asked and Jaune's blood froze over. Great, even if he was good at lying, how could he make up a story as good as hers? He'd love to give her some typical story of how he was trained to uphold his family's lineage but well…he didn't…

"Um…well, I guess I just want to help people. I mean, I've always wanted to be able to try and protect people, having seven sisters probably had a hand in it," Jaune said meekly, he wasn't exactly lying so his morals were settled.

"Seven sisters?! Wow that sounds like a mouthful, I feel bad for your parents. Still though, I imagine that they're all proud of you. Protecting people is a great goal to have. Hunters embody those ideals for sure," Pyrrha said kindly and Jaune just felt guiltier. He was so caught up in that though that he didn't notice Pyrrha pull a branch back as she moved and it smacked him, right in the face sending him to the ground.

"Does the ground like me today or something?" Jaune asked, exasperated. Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment and helped him up quickly. Jaune touched his cheek and pulled it away to see blood on his hand, great…

"Jaune? Is something wrong with your aura?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune chuckled nervously and tried to play it cool.

"Um…what?" he asked, feigning innocence. Pyrrha crossed her arms at him and looked concerned.

"Jaune? Do you…know what Aura is?" Pyrrha asked.

"Um yeah! I know what it is! It's that…uh…thing…" Jaune said, pathetically.

"Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It both protects us and empowers us to do otherwise impossible things. It heals us up as well when we are injured. For all users it also grants us a sort of ageless immortality, the age we stop at though differs from person to person and of course we can still be killed. It has it's limits but it's something that every hunter, no…every warrior has. Generally aura's are unlocked during combat school. Though some people have there's unlocked earlier or through other means," Pyrrha explained. Jaune nodded to her in understanding and sighed, he was going to have a hard time playing his lie if he didn't know something so fundamental like that.

"Do you want me to unlock your aura?" she asked and Jaune's eyes widened and he nodded numbly. Pyrrha smiled gently and placed her hand on his shoulder and then she took a deep breath.

"Now don't freak out, trust me alright?" she commanded and Jaune nodded. Then she began to glow with a red energy as she placed her other hand on his face, making him blush.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder, protect thee." Pyrrha's glow seemed to enter Jaune and he felt a warmth flow throughout his body and then suddenly he felt energy flowing through him like never before.

"There…your aura is unlocked and you have a lot of it, more than most I've seen," Pyrrha complimented. Jaune raised his hands up and saw that he was now exuding a white aura from his body. He reached up to his cheek and marveled at the fact that the cut had healed already.

"This is incredible!" Jaune praised as he felt his energy surge. The glow faded after a few minutes and then Pyrrha punched his arm, playfully.

"Don't get cocky, we can't have you falling short now. You have a duel when we get back," Pyrrha said and Jaune instantly lost all his joy.

"Come on, let's try to find the relics then…" Jaune said dejectedly. Pyrrha laughed and nodded as he now took the lead through the forest. He spent the next few moments asking Pyrrha about aura and what he could do with it until they came to a small clearing in the forest. There was a cave that caught his attention and he pointed Pyrrha towards it.

"I bet the relic is in there!" he said excitedly. The initiation was in the bag, it was dead obvious that the relics were in there.

"Um, I don't think they're in there…" Pyrrha said, nervously. Jaune didn't listen and just ran into the cave without thinking. He was so excited that unfortunately he didn't notice the roar from the cave until he came face to face with two red eyes. The next thing he knew he was being flailed around on top of a giant deathstalker, right out of the cave.

"Jaune!" he heard Pyrrha shout, followed by the sound of gunfire. Now that they were in the sunlight he could see that he was being flailed around on the tail of the deathstalker. Great now if he died he'd now how!

"Jaune let go of it!" Jaune tried to peer at Pyrrha and saw her fending off the pincers of the scorpion with her shield as she stabbed at it with her spear.

"Harder than you think!" Jaune shouted back. Nonetheless he began to lessen his grip so he could jump but then he felt the deathstalker reel it's tail back and flung forward sharply. Due to his weakened grip he was sent flying through the air, screaming in a very feminine pitch. Following that he heard Pyrrha shout his name.

"Why is it always falling?!" he screamed as she tried to get his bearings. He caught sight of…was that a Nevermore?! He was cursing his luck so much that he didn't realize he had collided with Ruby until it happened.

"Hi Jaune!"

 **Ruby's POV**

"Ugh…why is it always the air…" Jaune groaned. Ruby shook her head and popped her head out of the leaves she had fallen in. Thankfully Jaune had collided with her as she fell from a Nevermore…Yang was going to give her an earful when she got down.

"Thanks for the save Jaune! I didn't know how I was going to land from that one…" Ruby said meekly as she stood on the branch they landed on. Jaune groaned as he stood up and cracked a few joints, making Ruby wince.

"Yeah, no problem Rubes…why were you on a Nevermore anyway?" Jaune asked, making Ruby blush in embarrassment.

"Um, I thought it was a good idea at the time. We were lost so we had to figure out how to find our bearings," Ruby said. It was such a good idea in her head but it wasn't particularly good when it came to the action itself. Still though, she had found her way to the relics, hopefully…

"Ruby!" the voice of her big sister rang in her ears. She immediately jumped down from the tree, forgetting Jaune. Her sister was standing up at a sort of ruined plateform and she immediately ran towards her big sis. She noticed that a girl in black, specifically the girl she saw reprimand Weiss before was next to her sister, probably her partner. The two embraced for a few moments until they heard the roaring of an Ursa, followed by…happy yells?

"Yay!" Ruby turned to see an Ursa Major storm out of the foliage into their clearing before it fell down to the ground. What surprised her though was the fact that there was a little orange haired girl in pink and white clothing and armor riding on it.

"Aww…it broke…" the girl whined. Then out of the foliage, came a boy with long raven hair, wearing a green coat. He seemed out of breath like he'd chased the girl and Ursa for quite some time.

"Nora…don't…do that…again…" the boy panted. Except Ruby saw that the girl wasn't there anymore.

"Yay, a castle!" Ruby jumped with a yelp along with Yang. The girl, Nora had suddenly appeared in between them, how'd she do that? Ruby should have been the only one able to move that fast!

"I'm Queen of the castle!" Nora sung as she picked up a white rook piece from one of the pedestals adoring the ruins. Ruby saw that there were a bunch of pedestals around and a lot of them had chess pieces on them. Those were their relics?! Chess pieces!

"Nora!" the raven-haired boy yelled as he stepped up to the group. The girl giggled nervously, scratching her head.

"Sorry, Ren!" she said, excitedly. The next thing that happened was Pyrrha came storming out of the foliage, followed closely by a Deathstalker.

"Jaune!" she called, desperately.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted from the tree he was still in. Then Yang gave an angry shout, making Ruby jump back.

"Can everyone calm down before something crazy happens again?!" Yang shouted, her semblance taking effect. She huffed for a few moments and surprisingly everything went quiet and calm. Then Ruby realized she left someone behind and looked up to see the Nevermore still circling around with her partner on its back. A partner who was currently screaming profanities at her.

"I thought she was supposed to be a proper lady," Yang commented as everyone else looked up to see what was going on.

"Aww, lucky. I want to ride a Nevermore!" Nora whined.

"No, Nora…" Ren shut her down, making her whine again.

"I told you to jump!" Ruby shouted.

"But she'll fall," Blake commented.

"She'll be fine," Ruby replied casually.

"She's falling…" Ren affirmed and indeed Weiss had jumped and was falling at an alarming pace. Though before she hit the ground, Jaune had jumped from his tree and caught her in his arms, landing perfectly in front of everyone.

"Milady," Jaune said, trying to sound charming. Ruby rolled her eyes at his antics and she had to hold back a laugh when Weiss grumbled and got out of his hold. Pyrrha jumped up onto the platform with all of them and Ruby saw that the deathstalker had apparently fallen into a trench and was trying to get out.

"Anything else?" Yang asked, challengingly.

"Hi," Ruby and everyone else, including Ren and Blake jumped at the voice. Ruby looked behind her to see none other than Azure, sitting on a rock. He had his sword on his lap but it was covered in the blood of Grimm and he was wiping it with a cloth. Ruby was overjoyed to see her friend again but before she could say anything, her sister had some words for him.

"Where'd you come from?" Yang asked, annoyed. Azure just smiled and pointed towards the other side of the forest where Pyrrha came out. There were a couple Beowolf corpses lying around the area, evaporating like all dead Grimm.

"You guys are funny. I am thoroughly enjoying this," Azure joked as he threw the cloth away, his sword now clean. He walked towards one of the pedestals and picked up a chess piece, a king piece to be exact.

"Nice to know you're having fun," Jaune grumbled. Whoever didn't have apiece grabbed a chess piece. Ruby grabbed the last knight piece while Jaune took the last rook.

"I'm glad you're not hurt," Ruby said to Azure as she approached him. She didn't know why but similarly to Jaune, she could just approach him. He seemed surprised by her concern and he blushed. Ruby looked him over again and she did have to admit that he was like something out of a storybook almost. She blushed when she realized she was looking at him way too close.

"Thanks…" Azure said simply as he looked towards the Grimm. The nevermore was still circling around and the deathstalker had managed to free itself finally.

"I hope you're all as good at fighting as you are at making me laugh," Azure said, adopting a completely serious tone. He drew his sword again and at that point several beowolves and a few Ursa's came storming out of the forest towards them. Ruby armed her weapon followed by everyone else readying their own weapons.

"Azure and Pyrrha should handle the Deathstalker, the rest of us should try to deal with the Ursas and Beowolves," Jaune said, surprising everyone. Ruby didn't expect that kind of command to come from the usually bumbling knight. What was even more surprising was that Pyrrha and Azure didn't question.

"You got it, Jaune. We'll get back to help you guys as soon as we finish!" Pyrrha replied as she drew her weapons. Then before anyone could voice anything, the two sprinted off towards the oversized scorpion.

"The dunce has a point. Those two are most likely the most skilled of us," Weiss commented as she jumped down from the platform. Everyone seemed to kick into gear at that point and quickly move to engage the enemy.

"What about that nevermore?!" Yang asked. Ruby looked up at the Grimm and while it was still circling around, it didn't seem to be trying to go after them for now.

"We'll worry about that later, let's go!" Ruby shouted as she lifted her weapon and charged into battle. She used her semblance and arrived in front of a Beowolf and sliced it in half with her scythe before it could react. She had trained for years with her Uncle Qrow for this and she would show the fruit of her training.

"Would you stop charging in head first!" some ice shards flew by her and embedded themselves in two Beowolves charging towards her. They both stopped and started freezing over but before they could, Yang and Blake jumped in and ended them with a punch and a slash respectively. Yang brought her gauntlets up and fired a few shotgun blast towards the approaching Grimm, incinerating or blowing apart a few of them.

"We're partners! Stop running off on your own!" Ruby turned to see her partner glaring at her but this time it was more out of worry than malice.

"Sorry…I just wanted to prove myself…" Ruby responded meekly. Weiss groaned but she raised her rapier up and flicked her revolver function.

"Just don't let it happen again, here they come…" she said curtly. Ruby pulled aimed her Crescent Rose down the sight towards the approaching Grimm. She aimed at an Ursa barreling towards Blake and Yang and when her crosshairs were on it's masked face she pulled the trigger. Her aim was true and the bullet hit it's mark, going right through the Ursa's head. It tumbled down due to the shot but just for good measure Yang went up to it and hit it with both her fists, firing her shotguns simultaneously.

"Yah!" she roared as she sent the corpse away in pieces. Ruby saw a beowolf coming towards Blake and she shouted at her to look out but the wolf already sprung at her. Ruby was about to rush in with her semblance but the beast's claws passed through Blake, cutting her in half but the body quickly turned to shadows and disappeared. Then the Beowolf's head left its shoulders, Blake appearing next to it.

"Come one!" Yang beckoned as she slammed her gauntlets together. Her semblance activated again, her hair taking on its flame like state. Ruby and Weiss both joined the two girls in the front, dispatching some of the Grimm that got too close to them.

"Why are there so many Grimm?!" Weiss shouted as she punctured a Beowolf multiple times, sending it down. Ruby swung her scythe around in an arc, decapitating three Beowolves at once. Ruby felt elated as she carved her way through the Beowolves that crossed her.

"Something must have drawn them here!" Weiss shouted out as she sent some of her dust spells out of her rapier towards the reckless Grimm. Ruby spared a glance towards the Nevermore and saw that Jaune, Ren and Nora had taken to keeping it off of the rest of them. Jaune wasn't able to do much since he lacked range but he was acting as a shield for everyone when the Nevermore decided to shoot its feathers at them. Ren and Nora were busy shooting bullets or grenades at the oversized bird.

"Ruby!" Ruby instantly swiped her scythe forward, severing a Beowolf's head clean off.

"Pay attention!" Weiss reprimanded as she stabbed her rapier into the eye of a Beowolf. An Ursa barreled towards them and Blake sprinted towards it with Yang. Blake sent a few of her clones ahead to distract the large Grimm. The Grimm swiped at the clones but didn't strike the original. That was all Yang needed to get close and deliver her firey punches to the beast. The Ursa visibly shook from the strike and Blake was suddenly on it's head and sunk her sword and sheath into it's face, making it drop dead.

"I think they're retreating!" Ruby shouted as she swung her scythe around in a circle, clearing the Grimm around her. She looked over the field to see that the remaining Beowolves were standing at the edges of the forest, glowering at them. Yet they made no move against them, Ruby wondered why until she heard Weiss.

"Look!" she shouted, alarmed. Ruby turned to see and her eyes widened at the sight. Jaune, Ren and Nora had apparently managed to drive off the Nevermore but the three were staring at something as well. Ruby finally saw what everyone was looking at and it was the battle with the Deathstalker.

Pyrrha and Azure were blurs as they attacked the oversized scorpion. The Deathstalker was practically helpless through the onslaught. It tried to retaliate but it was always too slow to catch the two nimble fighters. Their weapons hit the Grimm like lightning as they weaved around the beast. Ruby knew she was the only one, who could see them completely, thanks to her semblance she learned how to process images at higher speeds. The two were so perfect, their movements all had purpose, nothing was wasted. What was more impressive was the fact that they were working completely in sync. The only thing keeping that Deathstalker alive was the fact that it was completely armored.

"Look at them go!" Yang cheered and Ruby through in her own cheer.

"Go Pyrrha, go Kamui!" she shouted, excitedly.

Pyrrha blocked the stinger when it came at her instead of dodging it. There was a loud clang when the stinger struck her shield. It began to reach for her with its pincers. The situation didn't look good but Ruby could swear she saw Pyrrha smirk. Then Azure jumped over the Deathstalker with a flip and slashed the stinger right at the joint connecting it to the tail. The stinger fell from the tail with a thump and Pyrrha easily jumped away before the scorpion could grab her with its pincers. Azure landed on top of the Grimm and sunk his sword into it, the sword pierced the shell. The Grimm was roaring loudly in pain and anger as it thrashed around to try and shake the swordsman off of it. Though during its struggle it didn't notice Pyrrha slide under it and cut open its soft underbelly as she passed by. The Deathstalker fell down from the attack, it was done. The Grimm roared weakly as it clung to life stubbornly. Then Azure pulled his sword from its back and hopped down in front of it's face and sunk his sword into it, deeply.

After a few moments the scorpion died and Azure pulled his sword out. It was at that moment that Ruby found herself closer than before. Pyrrha walked up to Azure and they hit their wrists together with an audible clank of their armors clashing. Ruby noticed that they others had made their way over as well but she paid it little mind.

"Good job, Kamui," Pyrrha complimented as she overlooked the kill they got.

"You did well too, Sis," Azure said kindly and Pyrrha's eyes widened before she smiled and ruffled his hair a bit.

"That was awesome!" Nora and Ruby shouted at the same time, making the two jump in surprise. Ruby had zoomed in on them with her semblance and Nora was Nora. Nora jumped giddily in front of Pyrrha.

"You were all cling, cling and slash and he was all stab!" Nora did her best to replicate the motions they did as Jaune and Ren moved to congratulate the blushing redhead. Ruby grabbed Azure's hands, making him blush again but she didn't notice.

"That was so cool, Kamui! You looked so cool!" Ruby gushed as she jumped excitedly as she held his hands, still oblivious to the unconscious contact.

"It wasn't that impressive…" Azure said meekly with a heavy blush. At that point Yang had gotten over to him and patted him on the back a bit roughly, making him wince but he didn't budge.

"Daymn! You really surprised me, tough guy. I think you surprised us all actually! I've only seen full Hunters deal with a Deathstalker like that! You really are a warrior," Yang complimented, proudly.

"I believe Rider of War is his title," Weiss added in, Ruby barely acknowledged that she and Blake were next to them too. She was too busy being enamored by the young swordsman. Azure was red from embarrassment, he probably had no idea what to do with praise like that.

"Indeed, he does his name credit," Blake added simply. Then Ruby clutched his hands tighter, making his eyes zero in on her again.

"You really did look so cool, Kamui!" Ruby said, sweetly. His eyes went wide at her declaration and he smiled at her. It was sincere, not challenging or arrogant. It was probably the most pleased she'd seen him yet. She felt her cheeks heat up as he smiled at her and then he cleared his throat and turned his head away.

"You can…let go of my hands now Ruby…" he said softly. Ruby glanced down and saw that she was clutching both his hands in her own and her face heat up quickly before she let go of his hands. She didn't have to look up to know that Yang was probably having a field day.

"Now then…" Azure cleared his throat and Ruby did her best to ignore the looks her sister was giving her. Pyrrha had apparently gotten some similar praise from Jaune and the others since she was as red as her hair.

"The Grimm have retreated and the Nevermore is gone for now. It'll be back though if we stay here," Azure said.

"Then let's get going," Weiss said. There was no arguing there but when they started making their way back, they heard the roar or screech of not one but two Nevermores.

"Oh come on that isn't fair!" Jaune shouted. Ruby looked back towards the forest. That way was out, they would be under constant attack plus their backs would be to the Grimm. She looked the other way and saw an old temple of sorts. That was there best bet.

"Quick, to the temple! We can take cover there!" she shouted. Everyone ran for the temple without question, anything was better than having to deal with the two birds in the open.

"Incoming!" Azure shouted. Everyone scattered as the deadly feathers of the Grimm came at them. Ruby evaded all of them quickly as everyone else had to dive or block the projectiles. The birds began circling them like vultures.

"We have to keep moving!" Jaune shouted. It was grueling since the birds seemed adamant on keeping them away but they managed to make it to the bridge at least. Ruby noticed Azure pull his gun off his back and begin opening fire on the birds.

"Move faster everyone!" Ruby ordered with a firmness that surprised Ruby herself. Unfortunately the bridge was longer than expected. In fact Ruby was just hoping they would make it to the middle platform in between the land and the temple. Everyone seemed to listen though and moved even faster across the bridge. Except the Grimm decided to be smart.

"They're going for the supports!" Pyrrha shouted. Ruby turned to see one of the Nevermores swoop under the bridge and then the structure started shaking right away.

"Everyone keep moving! Jump if you have to!" Azure shouted. Ruby used her semblance and sped all the way to the end of the bridge. She drew her weapon and began opening fire on the Grimm who were still picking on her friends.

"Leave them alone!" she shouted as she fired on the Grimm. Blake and Ren got across the bridge soon after her and began firing their own weapons at the giant birds. There shots seemed to do little more than piss them off though. Both birds zoomed under the bridge again, knocking more of the supports out. The bridge began to crumble and fall apart under the people still on it.

"Guys!" Ruby shouted helplessly. Yang jumped into the air and fired her gauntlet blasts backwards, giving her enough momentum to make it to the other side. Weiss hopped along, using her glyphs with Pyrrha following her close. Nora extended her hammer and hit Jaune with it, sending him flying to the other end before she ignited her dust blast from it, using the momentum to fly through the air. Except that left Azure…

"Kamui!" Ruby shouted helplessly. He was the furthest away since he was giving cover fire from the other end. He was running across the crumbling bridge as fast as he could. He jumped and landed on the middle of the bridge that was still supported but he was stuck there now.

"We have to help him!" Jaune shouted as he ran up to the edge. They were all helpless to get to the young swordsman. Ruby was about to jump but Yang grabbed her hood and yanked her back.

"Ruby! You won't help him by jumping to your death! Start shooting the Nevermores!" Yang barked. Ruby winced at her tone but she understood that her sister was just trying to get through to her.

"Try to distract the Nevermores so they don't go after Kamui!" Ruby shouted as she jumped onto a pillar and began taking shots at the birds again. Yang jumped up next to her and started firing her blasts from her gauntlets.

"Hey you overgrown pigeons! Over here!" Yang shouted. Ruby saw everyone else with ranged weaponry take positions and start opening fire on the flying Grimm. The Grimm were still focusing on Azure since he was separated from the group. Ruby watched as he deflected all the feathers they shot at him with his sword with perfect movements.

"One of them is coming!" Weiss shouted. One of the giant birds had directed its attention towards them but the other one still kept targeting Azure.

"Blake! Yang, I need you two to set up a spring to launch me with Blake's ribbon! Weiss I need you to use your glyphs to power up my semblance!" Ruby shouted. The three girls all nodded and began getting into position.

"We'll draw it in Ruby!" Jaune shouted as he ran off with Ren, Pyrrha and Nora. Ruby smiled slightly at her blonde friend, he certainly did well under pressure. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora began firing their guns at the Nevermore, successfully gaining its attention.

"Ruby are you sure this will work?!" Yang asked as she and Blake tied the latters ribbon between two pillars. Ruby shrugged as she jumped down in front of them.

"No idea but we have to hurry if we're going to help Kamui!" Ruby replied as she gazed, worriedly at her friend. His movements almost mesmerized her, it was like he was dancing with the way he used his sword. While his moves certainly had other intents they still held a grace. He didn't look like he was getting tired either.

"I'll pin it down! You better make the short count!" Weiss shouted as she cast her glyphs like platforms. The Nevermore zeroed in on her and dove after her but Yang timed a blast from her Ember Celica. The blast hit the bird in the face, disorienting it in mid air. Weiss took the opportunity and quickly froze it's tail against the cliffside. Then she conjured a more powerful glyph and jumped all the way back to the platform.

"Get ready!" Ruby shouted as she got on the ribbon and pulled back. She cocked her Crescent Rose and pointed it back, ready to fire. Weiss got next to her and activated a glyph behind her, a large one.

"What if you miss?" Weiss asked, dare Ruby say, worriedly.

"I won't," Ruby answered confidently as she let the energy from her partners glyph fill her. Then she fired her scythe, using her semblance at the same time to launch herself at the Nevermore.

"Hiya!" Ruby snagged the Nevermore's neck with her scythe's blade, she caught sight of Weiss' glyphs forming on the Cliffside and landed on it, pulling the Nevermore against the wall with her. It roared and thrashed against her but she didn't relent. More glyphs formed in front of her, all the way to the top of the cliff. With a yell she sprinted up the cliff, firing her scythe for momentum, brining the Nevermore up with her. When she reached the top she jumped and pulled on her scythe hard. The Nevermore got caught on the cliff and the scythe dug into it's neck finally. Ruby pulled the trigger, firing her beloved again in tune with her semblance, the momentum was enough and she cleaved the head off of the bird.

"I did it!" Ruby thought excitedly as she turned to see the bird fall into the cavern. She went up to the cliff to check on her friends and they were all waving at her. Ruby's eyes moved to Azure's position though and her eyes widened from what she saw. Azure was shouting something at her and she barely had time to register his words.

"Ruby look out!" he shouted. Ruby barely had time to move backwards as a hail of feathers sunk into the ground she was standing on. The Nevermore attacking Azure had apparently decided to move against Ruby now and it was clearly outraged. Great, the two Nevermores must have been mates. Ruby started firing at it but it swerved away and made an attack run against her. Ruby dove to the side and dodged all it's feathers but when it looped around for the next one, one of its feathers lodged itself in her cape, pinning it to the ground, knocking her off her feet.

"Oh come on!" she complained. The Nevermore swooped back into the canyon, probably to take shots at her friends. Ruby quickly scrambled to pull the feather out of her beloved cape. When she did she saw the Nevermore swooping towards her again but this time she saw someone in its clutches.

"Kamui!" Ruby shouted in surprise. Azure was holding onto the Nevermore by one of its talons as it flew up towards Ruby. She dashed away from her position so she wouldn't get hit and Azure dropped off of his ride and rolled onto the ground.

"Get up, Ruby!" Azure ordered, quickly. Ruby picked up her scythe and got ready to fight as the Nevermore came after them. She noted that they were driven farther and farther away from the cliff but they didn't have much choice. She just hoped the rest of her friends would hurry up.

"Ruby! We're going to have to kill it quick!" Azure said as they sprinted away from it's feather barrage.

"What do we do?" Ruby asked.

"To be honest, I've never really killed a Nevermore by myself. I always had help!" Azure replied as he deflected some of the feathers coming at them.

"Let's try to attack its wings then!" Ruby suggested. Azure nodded and pulled his gun off his back and threw it to her. She fumbled to catch it mid run.

"I loaded it with rifle rounds. You'll need the extra firepower. I'll distract it and try to make it land perhaps!" Azure shouted as he veered away from her before she could respond.

"Be careful Kamui!" Ruby shouted as she stopped with a skid. She brought both guns up to aim at the Nevermore. Azure had managed to gain its attention for the moment. It flew close to the ground and tried to claw at him with its talons but he deflected all of it with his sword. He managed to maneuver it so that the bird had its back to Ruby.

"Now!" Ruby pumped her aura into her arms to take the recoil as she sprinted towards the Nevermore. She begun opening fire, aiming for one of the wings. The tactic worked, the impacts hit the wing, forcing the bird to land. Unfortunately it still managed to knock Azure away with a large swipe of its wing. Azure had blocked the hit and flipped onto his feet from the air fortunately but the bird started going after him.

"Kamui!" Ruby shouted as she kept firing at the Nevermore, trying to bring its attention to her now. The Nevermore turned around sharply, swiping her with one of its wings. Normally she might have been able to tank a blow like that but she was channeling her aura into her arms and legs so she was disoriented from the strike.

"Ruby!" Ruby heard her friend shout her name in alarm and she tried to get up but she gasped in pain. The Nevermore had fired a few of its feathers at her. It pinned her cape to the ground, keeping her from standing and one of the feathers embedded itself in her leg, puncturing her aura unfortunately. She couldn't get up in time now. She looked up at the Nevermore fearfully as it reared back to no doubt eat her in one bite, a horrible way to go. Except something happened at that moment before her end came. There was a large crash like metal against something hard.

"Get away from her!" Ruby's eyes widened to see that Azure had managed to get in between her and the Nevermore's beak. The bird roared in outrage and reared back to strike again but then something happened.

"Ah!" Azure let out a loud war cry and then Ruby's eyes widened. Suddenly a black aura started glowing from him and then it was like the world changed around her. It was like a sort of bubble formed around the area she, Azure and the Nevermore occupied.

A red mist seemed to form around them like a bubble; she couldn't see anything past it really. Then the colors around her seemed to be a bit distorted like there was too much light almost but it didn't blind her at all. The things that were darker colors though seemed to darken more if that was possible. Azure was the one that changed the most though. His white hair seemed to glow and his armor became a white color and his cape turned black. His black aura still glowed around him though at the same time. Ruby saw that the symbols on his sword started glowing but she didn't understand what was going on.

"I'll take care of this Ruby…" Azure turned to look at her and Ruby's eyes locked on his. His flame orange eyes were glowing now and someone might have been frightened but Ruby could see that he was still her friend, Kamui.

"This won't take too long…" Azure turned back to the Nevermore and Ruby saw that the Grimm was moving slow, slower than it should have.

Suddenly though the Nevermore roared in pain, Ruby looked down to see that Azure had slashed opened a gash into its side. Then he was on the other side of the Grimm and slashed another gash into it. Ruby's eyes widened as her friend moved like a blur around the large Grimm. It was almost like he was using her semblance with how fast he was moving. The Nevermore was helpless before the onslaught and Ruby watched in awe as Azure slashed away at it. Then Azure cut open a gash in its belly forcing it to fall over and then he jumped up, brining his sword to bear at its neck, cleaving the head of the beast clean off. As he landed and sheathed his sword the world seemed to change back to normal to Ruby and she blinked a bit.

"Are you ok Ruby?" Azure asked concerned as he approached her. She noticed that he looked a little winded but otherwise he was fine. Ruby stared at him still and blushed a bit as he knelt down in front of her to check her leg.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse…" Ruby said as she pulled the feather out of her leg with a wince. Fortunately the oversized thing didn't go far in to damage her leg. He smiled and then he went behind her to pluck the feathers from her cape and helped her stand up. Ruby stumbled a bit but her aura worked fast on the wound. Besides she was far more concerned with something else.

"Kamui that was so cool!" she gushed as she grabbed his hands again. Now that they were safe she could get lost in her praise again.

"It was nothing…" Azure said, embarrassed but she didn't realize what she was doing. He just looked so cool and heroic…yes…heroic was the right word.

"You were a hero, Kamui…" Ruby said kindly as she tightened her grip on his hands. His eyes widened at her statement and then he smiled at her, thankfully. Ruby felt her cheeks turn red since she thought he looked quite…handsome.

"Thanks, Ruby…you're the first one to call me that…even after seeing me do "that"…" he said kindly and Ruby felt her face heat up even more. What was she doing?! Why did he make her feel so embarrassed all of a sudden? She meant what she said; he saved her from a gruesome death after all.

"Why? You saved me though and you looked really cool doing it!" Ruby pressed, making Azure brighten up even more. It was nice seeing him like this, he wasn't putting on challenges or arrogance, though Ruby would admit he did it well. Now though she could see that he was kind and quite humble apparently.

"Ruby!" Ruby gasped as she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace that cut off her oxygen again. She squirmed around as she tried to get free but her sister was quite relentless this time.

"I was so scared when that thing went after you! Are you ok?!" Yang fret as she pulled back to check her over for injuries and she almost threw a fit when she saw a little blood on her leg. Ruby used her semblance and appeared behind Azure, who was laughing from the antics. Yang seemed to relent from that and laughed as well.

"You guys are late," Azure commented as he crossed his arms. Ruby peered out at her sister to see that the rest of their group had arrived as well. Weiss looked out of it, she probably had to use her glyphs to get them up there. She must have been really tired if she was allowing Pyrrha to hold her up.

"Sorry, Kamui, Weiss here got tired part way through and we had to take a break," Pyrrha said but she smiled at him and Ruby instantly felt a searing anger in her chest from that.

"Though…it appears you didn't need it…" Pyrrha added as she nodded to the decaying corpse of the Nevermore. Azure stiffened and it seemed like he was going to try to play it off but Ruby chimed in.

"It was all him!" she said, making him groan in annoyance.

"We saw what happened, Tough Guy. You just started glowing and then you just started hacking away at that thing like it was paper. Also…thanks for looking after my sister," Yang managed to yank Ruby away from him, much to Ruby's annoyance but she didn't smother her so she endured.

"I don't know what I'd do without her…" Yang sighed and Ruby frowned. She knew Yang was very protective of her, especially because of…that time. Ruby could take care of herself now but Yang would always be her big sister she supposed.

"Wait…you only saw him glowing?" Ruby asked. Everyone looked at her, some with confused stares except for Pyrrha who had a knowing look.

"Were we supposed to see something else? It just looked like he killed that thing in a frenzy," Jaune said, utterly confused.

"That was longer than two minutes, Kamui. You've learned to hold it longer like I suggested," Pyrrha stepped forward, after making sure Weiss could stand on her own. Azure gave her a look but he sighed and shrugged.

"Of course…I wouldn't want you to be able to counter it too easily for our next duel…" Azure said casually.

"So what was that? It looked like speed to us but apparently Ruby and Pyrrha know it's something else," Weiss pressed, using her rapier as a semi-crutch.

"Yes that was my semblance. As for what it is exactly…I don't feel like explaining now…after all I don't want all my rivals to know all my tricks before I know theirs…" Azure spoke confidently. Ruby smiled at the fact that he called all of them his rivals. Weiss seemed mad by that revelation but Blake interrupted.

"That was a good strategy, Ruby. I have to admit I didn't think it would work very well," Blake complimented, politely. Weiss sobered up at that and she looked at Ruby.

"Yes…about that…Ruby. Despite all your faults and being a dolt, I know that I can be a bit…difficult…" Weiss stammered like she's never apologized before. Yang scoffed but Ruby elbowed her side so she wouldn't ruin it.

"But we have to get through this together I suppose. So if you promise not to be so reckless I'll try to be…nicer," Weiss said with a small smile. Ruby couldn't believe she was actually smiling and not in a sadistic or evil way.

"Aww, so the Ice Queen does have a heart!" Yang engulfed the heiress in a hug and Ruby sighed since the moment was ruined. While the heiress was busy trying to fight Yang off of her and Blake tried to keep them from killing each other Ruby turned to Jaune now.

"You led well, Jaune. You did very well under pressure," Ruby praised, making the blonde knight blush. Pyrrha punched his shoulder making him fall to the ground before she apologized sheepishly.

"I agree, you led very well, warrior," Azure added in.

"You handled the situation well," Ren complimented.

"Yeah! You were like a action hero, super leader! Oh! I'll call you our Glorious Leader!" Nora added in as Ren clamped her mouth shut.

"She's saying you did well," he added in calmly. Jaune seemed to be blushing badly and then he looked at Azure in shock.

"Wait, you think I'm a warrior?" Jaune asked. Azure smiled and nodded and by that point the others had rejoined the conversation.

"Yes, I the Rider of War, acknowledge you, Jaune Arc as a warrior. You do your name honor," Azure said respectfully. Jaune's mouth went agape and no words came out, until Weiss forced him to.

"You Dunce! The Rider of War just acknowledged you, don't just stand there!" she yelled, making Jaune jump.

"I uh…thanks, Azure…" Jaune said bashfully and Azure sighed.

"What about us?" Yang asked and Ruby chimed in her agreement. She knew that he probably believed in them now but still she wanted to hear him say it.

"Ha! Yes, I the Rider of War acknowledge you all as warriors. Except for you…" Azure said as he pointed at Ruby.

"What?!" Ruby screamed in outrage. Didn't he just see her take out that Nevermore and take charge of the situation? Yang looked like she was about to blow but Azure held his hand up.

"Let me finish…I believe warrior doesn't suit you…more like…Reaper," he said with a small smile. Ruby processed the information and she blushed a little in embarrassment.

"Hey, can we get our own little nicknames then?" Yang asked. Azure laughed a bit before he shook his head.

"I think you can manage that yourself, Yang," Yang laughed at the implication but she seemed to take the comment seriously.

"This is all well and good but…how do we get out of here? I don't exactly feel like fighting through an entire forest of Grimm again," Jaune asked as he stared off towards Beacon in the distance.

"Well we can't fly there," Blake deadpanned.

"Kamui, can you call Nyx to give us a ride? She must be more than big enough to carry all of us now right?" Pyrrha asked. Azure sighed and tried to look like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"What's she talking about, Kamui?" Ruby asked, innocently. Everyone else was wondering what they meant too.

"Kamui, come on…I know she likes to fly with you…" Pyrrha prodded Azure, making him sigh in resignation.

"Alright fine…if I get in trouble I'm throwing you guys off the cliff…" he deadpanned as he took a breath and whistled. The whistle was sharp and a bit high pitched from a usual one. There was a few moments of silence and right when Ruby was about to ask what was happening they all heard a loud roar.

"W-What was that?" Weiss stammered. Pyrrha started laughing but Ruby was still shaking a bit in her boots too. She'd never heard a roar quite like that before.

"There she is…" Azure said casually. Ruby looked up towards the sky and a red glyph formed and out of it came a giant dragon like straight out of a fairytale. The dragon was large, even bigger than the two Nevermores they just killed. It was a black color like the night sky with two large horns adorning its head. It had four legs and two arm wings as well. It's wingspan besides being quite large as expected to be able to handle a beast this size, the wings had a sort of starry look to them almost.

"Is that a dragon?!" Jaune screamed in an unmanly way. The dragon came down to them and landed relatively softly, making everyone tense, even the ever-enthusiastic Nora. The dragon folded its arm wings back onto its back and its wings looked almost like a cape now. It walked over to them, it's purple eyes regarding them in a way no mindless beast would. It stopped in front of them and Ruby couldn't help but feel more in awe than scared.

"Hi Nyx!" Azure greeted warmly, making Ruby's eyes bulge out. The dragon lowered its head to Azure and nuzzled him slightly, making him laugh as he hugged the dragon as much as he could.

"It's good to see you again Nyx, you got so big!" Pyrrha added as she pat the dragon's snout. The dragon let out what Ruby thought was a pleased growl as it gave the same affection to Pyrrha.

"Ok…what is going on here?! You have a pet dragon?!" Yang shouted. The dragon seemed to be offended by the term pet and let out a low growl, making everyone stand on edge.

"Hey, easy Nyx. They're friends, don't say that about them," Azure chided as he tapped the dragon's snout with his fist.

"Nyx isn't my pet, she's my friend and I suppose you could say she's like my partner," Azure said as he scratched the dragon's scales, making the dragon growl in a pleased manner.

"I never heard of you having a dragon before," Blake commented.

"Well, I am called the Rider of War. That would imply that I ride something into battle, it just happens to be a dragon," Azure said casually as he and Pyrrha scratched the dragon's scales.

"I think I've had enough crazy for today…" Jaune groaned.

"So she's our ride home then?" Weiss asked a bit fearfully. Azure nodded and tapped Nyx's head and the dragon lowered itself to the ground.

"Well lets go, make sure you hang on because we're not stopping to pick you up," Azure said as he got onto the dragon.

 **Azure's POV**

"I still hate flying…why couldn't that stupid lizard fly straight…" Jaune groaned and then Azure elbowed his side, making him wince.

"She's not a lizard and I'll tell her you said that…" Azure said icily. He wasn't exactly in a good mood now. After they flew back to Beacon he got quite the reprimand from Goodwitch since his dragon accidently knocked over a few pillars at the front of the school. He had to send Nyx back home since she was too big to come into the auditorium or whatever they called it at the school. He hoped his dragon wouldn't take that as an offence to her weight. Naturally he didn't appreciate people insulting his mount, especially since she could understand it all if she was there.

"Please don't, Azure…" Jaune begged. They were currently all back at the auditorium again. The headmaster was forming the teams together and assigning the leaders of the teams. Apparently the pairs who got matching chess pieces were formed into a team. Many of their colleagues had already been teamed up, no one from their merry group had been called yet though.

"That was cool, can we do that again sometime?" Ruby asked as she wormed her way between Azure and Jaune to pull on their hands. Azure managed to resist blushing this time since he had managed to get used to the feeling, sort of.

"Nyx likes to fly around but Professor Goodwitch doesn't particularly want to see a large dragon flying over vale. She's afraid that the council will throw a fit. We'll probably have to fly over the emerald forest," Azure said, happy that his friend liked his partner. Nyx liked all of them though she said that she wanted to eat most of them. He would have to have words with her later about that.

"That's great! It was so cool flying around on a dragon, Jaune you have to come with us too!" Ruby pressed as she tugged on Jaune, making the blonde groan. Azure shared a look with Pyrrha and laughed but he heard the Headmaster announce the next group.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie," Ozpin announced. Azure saw Jaune stiffen so he and Ruby nudged him on after a few moments. He got onto the stage with the others called but he still looked so tense up there. Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him and Azure's eyes widened when he saw the look on her face.

"Wait…does she…wow…" Azure mused to himself about his childhood friend's interests. He just felt bad since the knight was horribly oblivious, well his skills would more than make up for it right? He still looked forward to their duel whenever that would happen, hopefully soon.

"You four collected the white rook pieces, your team will be Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc," Ozpin said, making Jaune jump in surprise. Nora glomped Ren, almost taking him down while Pyrrha started congratulating Jaune. Azure shared a knowing look with Ruby and they cheered the loudest out of everyone, even louder than Yang. The cheering turned to laughter though when Pyrrha punched Jaune a bit too hard, sending him to the ground.

"Team JNPR please stay on stage but stand aside," Ozpin commanded. After Pyrrha helped Jaune up they stepped back to the end of the podium with their team. Azure wondered what that was for and he shrugged at Ruby and the others when they looked at him.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna please come up," Ozpin announced. Ruby couldn't get up there fast enough and it made Azure smile at her energy. Yang ruffled up his hair a bit before she joined her sister up on stage with the others who were called.

"You four collected the white knight pieces, from here on you will be team RWBY, led by…Ruby Rose!" Ozpin announced. Ruby seemed surprised but was quickly brought into a tight hug by her sister, who swung her around. Azure smiled softly at the scene, wishing his own sister had the same pride him. He did notice however that Weiss seemed rather distressed about the choice and he sighed. No doubt it would be a problem for them soon. Still though it was a joyous occasion and he cheered for them louder than everyone else. He caught Ruby's eye and gave her the sincerest smile he could muster and she blushed a bit, which he thought was cute, wait what?

"Now then, team RWBY, please wait on stage please and team JNPR come forth. There is one more thing that concerns you," Ozpin said. Everyone looked confused and there were a few murmurs from the crowd and Azure immediately felt like something bad was going to happen to him. He saw Professor Goodwitch and two other professors, Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck step up to the stage. This was all beginning to make Azure nervous.

"Kamui Legacy, step forth," Ozpin called. Azure immediately felt irked at someone calling him his real name without his consent but he swallowed his anger. He glared at Ozpin who just gave him an indifferent look. He had to keep up a respectable image; he couldn't let people think he was just a mindless beast. Everyone went silent for a few moments as they slowly realized it was him. Then the whispers started coming, making him angry.

"A Legacy? Aren't they all crazy?"

"What the hell is HE doing here?!"

"How did they let him into Beacon?!"

"He'll kill everyone just like his brother…"

Azure expected a bad reception but he never had to face it like this before. He always hid his last name; his nickname always threw everyone off. The sheer anger against him was just so…overwhelming though. These people didn't even know him! Yet here they were making judgments, grouping him up with the legacy his siblings left for him. Azure felt his fists tighten up as he resisted the urge to retort at the crowd. How dare they spit on his honor, he was a warrior damn it not a beast. Still though, even he knew when to not draw his sword. He had to calm himself otherwise he would be giving them what they want.

"Kamui Legacy?" Ozpin asked again. Azure sighed in resignation at that. It seemed he was being forced to let go of his alias, he knew Felica and Flora had something to do with it. Jakob probably did too now that he thought about it. Azure sighed again in annoyance, very well then. It seems he would be forced to step into the light. He'd face it head on as always, he'd worry about pranking his caregivers later with mischief glee.

Kamui held his head high, his back straight and shoulders square. Everyone parted for him as he made his way towards the stage, to what would be his future. The whispers kept up but he tried to ignore them and keep his eyes on the stage and his friends. They all gave him nods or signs of encouragement but Ruby and Yang looked like they were about to go nuts on the crowd. He smiled at their loyalty to him, he couldn't ask for better friends.

"Hey! Leave him alone! You don't know anything about him! He's a hero!" Ruby shouted, surprising everyone, even Ozpin seemed a bit startled by her outburst. Kamui expected Yang to speak out but apparently not. Everyone went silent at that, probably too shocked to believe that someone had stood up for a Legacy. Kamui blushed bad at her words, feeling his heartbeat quicken. No one had ever said that about him, especially in this kind of situation.

"Yeah, leave the guy alone!" Jaune added in despite obviously being scared. Kamui couldn't contain his smile at the words of the knight. The others on the stage minus the quiet ones, Blake and Ren said something similar in support of him. Kamui also couldn't help but notice the slight smile on Goodwitch's lips. So he was right, it did have something to do with Flora and Felica.

"He's a Legacy, don't you know what that means?" one student spoke out and Kamui narrowed his eyes as a tall redheaded boy wearing a type of plate armor stepped into his path. His name was Cardin Winchester leader of CRDL if Kamui remembered correctly. The guy spit at his feet and Kamui felt his anger spike.

"Mr. Winchester! Do not impede your fellow student…" Professor Goodwitch said icily. The mace wielder narrowed his eyes at Kamui but he flinched slightly when Kamui glared right back. He stepped back into the crowd and Kamui made his way up to the stage with no interruptions this time. He nodded to his friends before he turned his gaze to Ozpin.

"Explain…" Kamui said simply.

"As everyone knows, there is a special rule placed on the Legacy family. We have decided to impose a new rule on this Legacy though if he would be willing," Ozpin spoke. Kamui was a little surprised and confused, what rule? And why the change of heart?

"He does not have a true partner or a team but we have decided to rectify that. We have revaluated him because of his performance during the initiation. However we could not decide which team to place him in so therefore we will say that as of this moment, Kamui Legacy will work with both Team RWBY and JNPR as he sees fit and he will be partnered to Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose," Ozpin announced.

Kamui was beyond shocked but also beyond happy. He was damn ecstatic; he was being given not just a partner but two? And he would be working with the two teams as well! He felt like he could cry in happiness except he wouldn't allow that. He silently prayed to his father and his mother wherever they were now. He hoped he was making them proud. The goal was very real now, he was redeeming his family name and separating himself from his siblings' image. Suddenly letting go of his nickname seemed more desirable.

"Yay!" Ruby tackled his side, hugging him tightly followed by Nora who hit his back, nearly making him fall over. Jaune helped him stabilize himself and gave him a fist bump in congrats followed by Yang giving him the same gesture.

"You see, Renny! I told you!" Nora said as she let go of Kamui and held her hand out to Ren who placed a few lien in her hand. Before Kamui could get mad about them betting on his destiny, Pyrrha gave him a short hug and ruffled his hair.

"You see? I told you it would all work out in the end," the redhead said smugly.

"I told you, you were a hero!" Ruby said as she hugged his arm tightly. Kamui blushed bad now since he wasn't exactly expecting this much attention! First people were screaming that he was a beast and now his friends were all calling him hero or something along those lines. He noticed Ozpin and the other teachers leave the stage as they dispersed the rest of the students. Weiss, Blake and Ren seemed to be staying back from the exchange though.

"So, is that the difference you were hoping to make, Azure?" Jaune asked. Kamui sighed and he punched Jaune's shoulder making him yelp.

"Yes…and…it's Kamui…feel free to use my name since Professor Ozpin thought it was tie to force the issue…" Kamui grumbled but he couldn't be mad really since he was too happy.

"So what happens if our teams have to fight each other?" Jaune asked, making everyone freeze. Kamui glanced behind him at Weiss and saw her scheming eyes and he quickly turned to Ruby.

"Ruby if you would…" at that his friend took him away in a flurry of petals before anything could happen.


	4. Fitting In

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

What's up everyone! In case anyone is wondering, Dante's Devil Trigger from DMC is the inspiration for Kamui's semblance at least for the way it looks. The properties and what it does are different.

Chapter 3: Fitting in

 **Ruby's POV**

"You dunce, how could you not notice the time!?" Weiss reprimanded as she led Ruby along in a run. Behind them was the rest of Team RWBY along with Team JNPR.

"I didn't think it would take that long to get the room set up!" Ruby threw back. She really didn't notice the time of day; she was just having so much fun decorating the room. It was only their first day after all and she was still getting used to the whole leader thing. Especially since it was obvious that her partner was less than pleased with the choice.

"Less yapping more super speed!" Yang cut in. Ruby almost face palmed and she quickly activated her semblance to speed along to class in a flash.

"Hey I meant pull us with you!" Ruby heard her sister shout after her. She blushed in embarrassment but didn't worry about it. It was too late to go back now, besides she couldn't carry all of them with her though she supposed she could have grabbed Jaune. Regardless she arrived at Grimm Studies with Professor Port and was glad to see that less than half the class was inside and that the teacher wasn't there yet.

"About time you got here. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to call you guys," Ruby smiled as she looked at Kamui who was sitting up at the second row of seats. He was dressed in his uniform instead of his armor like he was supposed to but Ruby thought he looked better with the armor on.

"We were sidetracked with decorating the room. I made it my team's first mission. I kind of left them all behind with my semblance by mistake though," Ruby said shyly as she sat next to her friend and second partner. She noticed that he was eating a pop-tart and her stomach growled. Unfortunately since they were so busy decorating their room and making bunk beds they didn't have breakfast.

"Here…the cafeteria didn't have much out yet, apparently the real food isn't until after first period…I got these though," Kamui handed her something and she squealed in joy when she saw that it was a couple of cookies in a bag. She didn't waste time and started chomping them down. They were all gone in a matter of seconds, leaving just crumbs. Kamui laughed at her and she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do you even taste them?" Kamui asked.

"Of course I do, they were chocolate chip!" Ruby exclaimed as she cleaned the crumbs off her skirt and her newly repaired hood. Kamui took notice and pulled her hood over her head, making her squeal.

"Is that even aloud with Beacon's uniform policy?" Kamui joked. Ruby pulled her hood back and punched his arm, making him laugh.

"Just wait until we get to combat class. And my hood is cool! Professor Ozpin said I could wear it too," Ruby pouted since her punches didn't seem to hurt him.

"Oh I look forward to it, Reaper…" Kamui said, making Ruby blush slightly at her nickname that he gave her. They both laughed though and Ruby enjoyed seeing Kamui happy. He was still fun to be around but he was also so tense and sad before but apparently the situation he was in now seemed to lighten him up. Even though it was only the first day she could tell that he was a lot happier like something was taken off of him. Except there was something important that she wanted to ask him before class started.

"Kamui…I don't know if I'm ready to be a leader…" Ruby said, making everything go completely one-eighty.

"Why would you say that? Professor Ozpin is known for being wise, surely you have pride in his choice don't you?" Kamui asked softly, his orange eyes becoming concerned.

"Well of course I do…but Weiss seemed to be a bit upset with the choice. I mean she's my partner and I don't want her to hate me. We'll be stuck together for four years after all," Ruby said as she watched the door, weary of her team walking in now.

"Weiss is a…bit of a snob to put it lightly. She reminds me a little of my brother Takumi or you know him as Arthur. They both tend to feel like the world owes them something almost. Except as we both saw Weiss can be quite caring if she wants to," Kamui said thoughtfully.

"What do you do with your brother?" Ruby asked, innocently. Though to be honest she should have expected what came next.

"The sparring ring. If he is being a jerk I just take him to the sparring ring and put him in his place," Kamui said with a laugh.

"I don't think I can just beat sense into Weiss…" Ruby said meekly and Kamui turned serious again and sighed.

"To be honest I don't know. I'm not around him enough to be concerned with it. What I do know though is that it's only the first day. Besides that I can only attempt to say something one of the professors might say, you should ask them," Kamui said seriously. Ruby grabbed his hand, ignoring the heat on her cheeks, she needed real advice from him.

"You're my partner too, remember? And Professor Ozpin put you in leadership class too, can't you help me?" Ruby asked, pleadingly, making her best cute face at him. He was a Legacy; he had to have some kind of crazy wise lesson right? She knew he was a leader even if he tried to play it off that he wasn't. Kamui sighed and tugged his hand out of hers gently. Ruby silently wished she could hold his hand again though, wait what? Bad thoughts! She chided herself for thinking that; she was supposed to be becoming a Huntress! Kamui was just a very good guy friend like Jaune.

"Alright then…look…all I can say is this. A leader is made a leader by his/her team and can be broken by their team as well. Part of learning here is teaching prospective leaders to become real leaders. I imagine Professor Ozpin thinks that you have what it takes to become that leader. I am new to leadership as well and I have no idea how he expects this to work with two teams who already have leaders. What I do know though is that you can't give up no matter what. Leaders have to be strong because they carry their team. At least that's what I gather," Kamui offered as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Ruby just nodded and took what he had to heart but before she could reply a flurry of students swarmed into the room. Her team and JNPR was included in that. Ruby paled when she saw Weiss stomp over to her and Kamui apparently just went back to eating his improvised breakfast. No need to make it look like they were scheming after all and Ruby thanked him for that silently.

"You Dunce! Do you know how long we spent trying to figure out where the room was?! Why didn't you come back and tell us?" Weiss yelled. Yang and Blake just passed by them and took seats at the row above them though Ruby saw her sister glare at the heiress. Jaune sat on Kamui's other side while the rest of his team went around to other seats in the room.

"W-Well I uh…I just…I thought you knew where it was and I couldn't carry everyone here…" Ruby said meekly. The heiress just glowered at her before she turned to Kamui who was still eating his pop-tart improvised breakfast. Kamui silently pulled out a pack from his blazer and held it up to the heiress. Weiss took the pack and actually thanked him before she took the seat next to Ruby, making her jumpy. Why was she sitting next to her if she was mad at her?!

"At least one leader takes care of his team…" Weiss said scathingly as she opened the packet and ate. Ruby looked down in shame before Kamui nudged her and handed her a cookie-flavored packet of pop-tarts. She immediately snatched them and started chowing down.

"Can I have one of those?" Jaune asked and Ruby saw him pull yet another pack out and hand it to the blonde. Where did he keep all of them? Did he expect to have to feed them all?

"Hey give us some of those," Yang called from the row above them. Kamui just pulled two other packets out and threw them up. Ruby saw her sister and Blake snatch them out of the sky.

"Sweet!" Yang called. Ruby saw Pyrrha wave over at Kamui who sighed as he pulled some more packs out and threw them to her. She thanked him and passed the other packs to Ren and Nora.

"What am I, a food dispenser now?" Kamui asked but he didn't sound mad, he sounded more amused. Ruby laughed as did Jaune. It was sweet really, he knew they weren't going to make it to the cafeteria so he picked up extra food for them. Even if it wasn't exactly food.

"So you were thinking about us huh? Why else would you have all of those?" she asked playfully. Kamui blushed and didn't reply and shoved the pop-tart he was about to eat in her mouth, which she ate. She laughed and Kamui joined in. All of their friends laughed at that display, even Weiss.

"I am glad you are all in such a joyous mood. My class certainty is something to be joyful about!" came the thundering voice of their teacher. Professor Port strode into the room and hit his desk. For some unknown reason this caused the walls behind him to lift up and reveal a couple of chalkboards with diagrams of various Grimm on them.

"Grimm are the vile beings of the darkness. They would like nothing more than to gobble any one of us up. Hunters and Huntress' are the ones that strive to end their tyranny! After your four years at Beacon you will be just that. Immortal defends of justice and peace. Now with that, a story…" Ruby began zoning out by that point. She picked her pencil up and started drawing in her notebook. She looked over at Kamui and was pleased to see that while he was writing things down, he looked about ready to fall asleep.

"What is this? A test of endurance for boredom?" Jaune asked. Professor Port didn't seem to notice him speak as he was so self absorbed in his story. He was talking about some bizarre story of how he slayed a Beowolf at least from the small bits she caught.

"Hard to believe he's a veteran hunter," Kamui commented tiredly. Ruby felt sleep calling her as well but she shook it off when she realized she didn't finish her drawing.

"Would you stay quiet! I am trying to listen here," Weiss chided. Ruby looked over at her partner and her eyes widened when she saw the rate Weiss wrote at. It was almost like she was a machine.

"He has valuable lessons, you just have to find the meaning," Weiss chided again as she studiously wrote down everything the professor said. Ruby just tuned it out again and finished her drawing. It was crude but it was a picture of Professor Port with a speech bubble that just had "blah blah blah". Jaune couldn't contain his laughter and Kamui smiled but he contained his laughter. She was blissfully unaware of the glare Weiss had on her.

"So naturally the moral of the story is that Hunters must be honorable, dependable. Hunters most be startegic well-educated and wise. Just like yours truly," Professor Port said as he winked at someone in the seats. Ruby heard her sister make a wretch sound and shuddered slightly at that.

"Who amongst you believes that you embody these traits?" the professor asked.

"I am!" Weiss shouted right after he finished speaking, making Ruby jump. She almost fell onto Kamui but he held her up but she saw that he had become fully serious and Jaune looked scared. She couldn't blame them, Weiss was practically dripping a blood thirsty anger.

"Wonderful! Then suit up and face your opponent!" Professor Port pulled a blunderbuss out from under his desk and slammed it into the ground and motioned towards a cage…that came out of nowhere.

"Where did that come from?" Kamui asked, dumbfounded and Ruby meeped in agreement. Where did that crate come from, it was literally not there just a second ago.

"Watch closely, Legacy. I will show you that your family is not the only one deserving of its prestige," Weiss said as she stood up from her seat. Ruby sweat dropped and she heard Kamui sigh in annoyance.

"What just happened?" Jaune asked as Weiss walked off to get ready.

"What happened indeed…" Kamui muttered. Ruby knew what was going on though and she began understanding Kamui's mentality of staying away from battles that could not be fought with weapons.

"Well whatever it is, hopefully this will cool her off…" Ruby said meekly as Weiss slammed the door to the classroom open and walked in with her battle attire and weapon, Myrtenaster.

"I am ready to face the challenge," Weiss said simply as she strode to the middle of the floor in the front of the classroom. The cage seemed to jump as the Grimm inside began thrashing around inside it. The professor just casually walked up to the cage and lifted his axe.

"Excellent then let the match begin!" he said as he cut the lock on the cage, freeing the Grimm, a Boarbatusk.

"Go Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well!" Blake added in a half-hearted voice.

"Yeah, represent Team RWBY!" Ruby shouted towards her partner who just glared at her, making her shrink back into her seat.

"Be quiet! I am trying to think here!" the heiress barked, making Ruby shrink into her seat more. The Grimm charged at Weiss during her barking and the heiress barely had time to twist out of the way and slash at it with her sword, dealing little to know damage to it unfortunately. However she let out an angry yell as she started stabbing at it with her sword, making the Grimm squeal in pain. Then she kicked it across the room and started stabbing it again like maniac as the Grimm tried to retaliate.

"She's certainly…violent…" Jaune deadpanned as they watched Weiss rain a flurry of angry attacks against the Grimm.

"Definitely reminds me more of Shira now…" Kamui shuddered slightly. Ruby winced as Weiss brutalized the Grimm. What made it more terrifying was that all that anger was directed at her really. Was she really that angry about what not being team leader? Apparently so judging from the way she severed the Grimm's head off. Then she used her Glyphs and spread them around the corpse and jumped from them like springboards and cut the corpse into tiny pieces.

"Impressive! Truly we are in the presense of a Huntress in training!" Professor Port said joyfully. The bell ending first period rung at that point and many students let out a sigh of relief as the Professor dismissed the class after telling them to read the assigned things before next class. Weiss turned her glare towards Ruby making her wince before she left the classroom.

"What did you do, Ruby?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know…hey Kamui…can you come with me so I can talk with Weiss? It'll be easier if you're there, she likes you," Ruby asked her white haired friend timidly. He seemed like he wanted to say no but he nodded.

"Of course," Kamui consented as he stood with her. Ruby waved towards her sister and Blake as they made their way after Weiss.

"I'll see you guys at the cafeteria!" she called without waiting for a response.

She grabbed Kamui's hand again and pulled him along faster even though Weiss wasn't exactly getting far fast. She just needed reassurance since she knew that Weiss was going to blow up at her again. Kamui was the best support she could get who wouldn't blow up at Weiss in return like her sister or cower like Jaune. She could ask one of the others but she didn't know them very well yet.

"Weiss!" she shouted as Weiss made her way down an empty corridor. The heiress rounded the corner and she sped up to catch up to her. Except the moment they rounded the corner, Weiss was there glaring at her.

"What?!" she demanded. She nodded towards Kamui though who just turned his head away.

"What's wrong with you?" Ruby found her nerve. Weiss just hardened her glare at her though.

"Me? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a team leader!" Weiss accused as she pointed a finger at her. Ruby felt her own anger spike from the outburst since she was getting really tired of getting yelled at.

"What did I do? I was just trying to encourage you!" Ruby shouted back. Weiss seemed surprised by her retort but her anger quickly took place again.

"I was in the middle of a fight and that's exactly it! You did nothing to earn your place as Team Leader! I am the one who should be in charge, working alongside Kamui and don't even get me started on that Lunkhead in charge of Pyrrha's team. Why do you two get to work with him?" Weiss asked, outraged.

"Don't you dare speak of Jaune like that! You don't even know him!" Ruby retorted. It was one thing to insult her but she wouldn't let her insult her friends. Especially not one of her best friends.

"Why can't I? You have not shown any qualities befitting a leader from what I've seen. I see now why Professor Ozpin practically put Kamui in as a leader as well, so that he could equalize you and the idiot out! Pyrrha, Kamui and I should have been put in charge of us. The three of us leading would truly make us the best!" Weiss accused. That took Ruby aback but thankfully Kamui chose to step in.

"I am right here…you know as well as I do that those words did not come out of the Headmaster's mouth. His reasoning for me being a leader is his own until he tells us. Plus Pyrrha and myself are hardly perfect, far from it and she would say the same thing," Kamui cut in with an edge in his usually calm voice.

"I meant no offence, Kamui-" Weiss tried to say but Ruby cut her off.

"Get over yourself already! Why are you so mean? I am just trying to prove that I can be a good partner as well but all you do is compare me to Kamui and Pyrrha! I know they're practically, I know they probably could lead better than I could ever hope but they would NEVER be so arrogant like you!" Ruby shouted in anger that she didn't know she possessed. Weiss was staring at her, agape and Kamui was just smiling at her.

"My, what passions you all possess," everyone flinched as they turned to see none other than the Headmaster himself. He had a cup of coffee as always and he actually looked quite amused.

"How much of that did you hear?" Kamui asked.

"I came in when I heard my name?" Ozpin answered simply. Why was he even around in the first place! Before Ruby could think more about his habits of being wherever something important was, she had to ask him something more important.

"Professor…am I…did you pick me as a leader because I have the ability?" Ruby asked timidly. Weiss didn't say anything at all, which was a first from the usually snippy heiress.

"Miss Rose, Miss Schnee, Mr. Legacy, I have made more mistakes than any other person on Remnant. I do not believe my choices concerning the leadership positions of Miss Rose, Mr. Arc and Mr. Legacy were wrong. Since leaving you in the dark seems to have been another mistake, I shall explain. Miss Schnee, you are skilled but you are brash and if I may a bit entitled. You believe that just because of your name you are to be given certain things…" Ozpin said.

"How dare you!" Weiss retorted but Ozpin actually glared at her, actually glared. Ruby wilted and she noticed even Kamui was shaken by it. Weiss was the one who took it the worse and she visibly shook.

"My point exactly…I will tell you this right now, something that one of Mr. Legacy's family members once told me. One who leads must know one of the following: knowing how to follow, have humility or an open mind. Do not make Miss Rose's job even more difficult for her, the burden of a leader is a great once after all. Surely you do not wish harm on her Miss Schnee?" Ozpin said wisely. Ruby saw Weiss actually send her eyes downcast in thought.

"Which member of my family said that?" Kamui asked, intrigued.

"Ryoma…" Ozpin said simply and Ruby saw Kamui flinch at the name before his fists tightened.

"Now, as for my choices of leadership. It is true that Miss Nikos possesses the skills and humility that I spoke of and even the open mind. Except she does not have the desire or the instincts of a leader necessarily. Her superb skills would make her an excellent warrior but not a leader. Mr. Arc showed many leadership qualities during the Initiation and Miss Nikos followed him without question. He possesses the ability to inspire confidence very well in individuals as well as plan on the field," Ozpin spoke. Weiss was still silent, which meant she was stomped and didn't know how to respond.

"Miss Rose managed to plan on the field as well. As I recall she managed to gain even your cooperation with the work dealt against the Nevermore's. She was also the one who pressed everyone to move on forward when you were all stuck in the ruins," Ozpin said as he tapped his cane on the ground as he took a sip of his coffee. Ruby brightened up from his words and Weiss actually looked guilty. Kamui nudged her with a smile but Ruby just blushed.

"What I find interesting is that you have not challenged my decision of Mr. Legacy's position as a leader. Surely you may have thought of the idea that I was implementing him as the leader of both Team RWBY and Team JNPR? He did not show many leadership qualities during the battles of the initiation am I wrong?" Ozpin asked.

"No…" Weiss said, slowly.

"Indeed…there is another reason behind his appointment…that however I will let you figure out. Suffice it to say that he does have the qualities of a leader though. So if you can give him that respect than give it to at least your leader and your partner," Ozpin said as he turned to Kamui who dropped his head.

"I believe your father would not want you to waste such potential…" Ozpin said simply and Kamui's eyes widened before he glared at the Headmaster.

"Don't speak of him…" Kamui said fiercely. Ruby stared at him worriedly but the Headmaster seemed to take the hint.

"I see I have touched a nerve, forgive me. Miss Schnee remember what I have said and you as well Miss Rose. Have a pleasant breakfast and do try not to earn the ire of Glynda…" Ozpin said as he walked away.

"So is that good enough for you?" Kamui asked with the same edge is his voice as he turned to Weiss. The heiress just looked a bit guilty before Kamui sighed.

"Well I'll leave you two to make up. It seems we have missed breakfast during out talk. I'll see you guys at combat class. Try not to take too long," Kamui said as he stared walking away. Ruby wanted to stop him but she stopped since she did have to try and make things right on her own. Weiss was her partner after all.

 **Jaune's POV**

"So are you ready for combat class, Jaune?" the blonde jumped at the sentence as he meekly smiled at his partner as he adjusted his armor.

"Of course! I'd love to see how I compare to everyone!" Jaune said confidently. Pyrrha seemed to buy it but in truth he was scared out of his mind. They were told to gear up in their full attires for combat class and Jaune was trying to delay the inevitable as much as possible.

"Kamui can't stop talking about how excited he is to fight you. I am curious to see you fight as well. You must be as good at fighting as you are at leading," Pyrrha complimented. Jaune felt his guilt build up even more. He wanted to tell everyone the truth but how could he? Kamui and Pyrrha seemed to think of him very highly and well…he didn't want that to stop at all.

"Hey um…speaking of Kamui, how does he fight? I mean I know he's fast but what is he like in a duel?" Jaune asked. Even though he was sure he'd lose, he wouldn't go down without a fight. No it was just a manner of how much of a fight he put up. Pyrrha smiled and nodded before she went behind him to help him adjust his armor.

"He's a very acrobatic fighter like myself though I believe he's better at it since I have much more defense than he does. He can take a hit though so don't think just because you catch him you win. As I said before he is a very skilled swordsman so be careful when you cross blades with him and he isn't afraid to use punches or kicks or anything as a weapon. He's more of a counterattack fighter than an offensive fighter so you will want to pick your attacks carefully. Nothing obvious or too strong otherwise he'll turn it on you. Your shield will offer you an advantage over him but don't rely on it too much. He prefers not to use his gun so I doubt he will even bring it into the arena so you don't have to worry about range," Pyrrha said as she tightened his armor comfortably.

"What about his semblance? Is it speed like Ruby? I remember the Nevermore," Jaune asked as he picked up Corcea Mors.

"No it's not speed exactly. Don't worry about it too much, he won't use it," Pyrrha said confidently.

"Really?" Jaune asked hopefully.

"I'm sure. He only uses it if he's pushed to the brink or if it's a dire situation. He does practice it but not against people usually," Pyrrha said. Before Jaune could say more, Pyrrha began pulling him off.

"Come on, enough stalling. We'll be late if we take too long," Pyrrha said as she dragged the poor blonde off to the end of his social life.

"Goodbye cruel world…" Jaune thought helplessly. He sucked it up though as they entered the amphitheater that was apparently an arena as well. The ground had been altered so that it was completely flat while the stands around it were full of their class.

"Guys, over here!" Jaune looked up towards one of the stands to see Nora waving at them. Ren was next to her as well as Team RWBY and Kamui. They were all dressed up in their battle attire, ready to fight.

"Come on, Jaune," Pyrrha said as she pulled him towards their group of friends. Blake was reading a book and she was hiding it from Yang who kept bugging her about it. While Weiss and Ruby were talking about something civil, surprising Jaune since last he saw they were at each other's throats.

"So they stopped fighting?" Jaune asked as he took a seat next to Kamui. The silver clad boy nodded in confirmation before he smiled.

"Do you think we'll get out duel today? I hope I get to fight today, after seeing everyone fight I want to see good they are against me," Kamui said. Jaune laughed nervously and thankfully Kamui let it drop and started talking with Pyrrha.

"What do I do?" Jaune lamented. Before anything bad happened though the doors below their seats opened and their teacher walked in, Professor Goodwitch, a famed huntress and a scary disciplinary from what Jaune heard. He shuddered at the thought of getting on her bad side.

"Greetings class, today shall be your first day of Combat Class. Normally we would have started earlier but I gave you the benefit of the doubt today to get here on time. I will not do so again am I understood?" she asked strictly.

"Yes Professor!" everyone answered, some with heart and others without. She seemed annoyed by their response and sighed before she pulled her tablet out and started tapping some things on it. The screens above them lit up, most of them were visuals of the arena but the one in the middle was white with VS in the middle and empty bars on either side. That must have been where the fighters would be displayed and their aura.

"You will hone you fighting abilities in this class. As Hunters you may not always fight Grimm but also deviants that misuse their gifts. I expect healthy development throughout the semester. This arena will serve as your sparing arena. The white screen will show the combatants as well as their aura levels, the combatants will have their own scrolls to check however during combat. Once a person's aura reaches the red they lose. However they do not have to reach the red to lose, if they are stuck in an unfavorable position such as a pin or sword at their throat that is also a loss. One more thing I will not tolerate any dirty tactics or blows meant to seriously maim especially if the person's aura is in the red. You are all classmates, do not mistreat others or you will answer to me…or the Headmaster…I am the one in charge of discipline and I will make you wish you never misbehaved. However if you truly earn the Headmaster's ire it will go poorly for you…" Goodwitch let the threat hang. No one really expected that, the Headmaster always seemed more like a laid back individual. Jaune shuddered at the idea that Ozpin was worse than Goodwitch.

"Now then we shall begin with a few matches. Everyone shall be expected to participate but today it is just to gauge where you all stand. If I feel you have not been adequately tested I will be sure to make you fight again," Goodwitch said.

"Mr. Arc come down please," she called and Jaune held in a sigh of resignation as he stood from his seat. Ruby and Nora gave him thumbs up while Pyrrha, Kamui and Ren gave him nods. The others all gave him different looks that he couldn't decipher. He was probably moving too slow but Goodwitch didn't say anything as he came to the arena and stood in front of her.

"Now then, a suitable opponent…" Goodwitch entered something and then Jaune saw his portrait pop up on the white screen as well as his aura level. He looked down at his scroll to see that his aura was displayed, thankfully just his aura and not his mood.

"Mr. Legacy shall be your opponent. I normally do not take requests but he seemed adamant about your abilities," Goodwitch said and a chilling air seemed to fill the room or that was just Jaune's blood. He heard whispers fill the room and his eyes landed on his friend who stood from his seat silently, a serious expression on his face.

"I am soooo screwed…" Jaune thought in despair, trying not to sweat too much. He gulped when Kamui jumped down from the stands onto the arena and approached the blondes.

"I am ready," he said simply. Goodwitch nodded and entered something before Kamui's portrait appeared on the other side of the white screen along with his aura.

"I expect no dirty tricks, you two…" Professor Goodwitch said as she took steps back until she was at the edge of the arena.

"Shall we, Jaune?" Kamui asked. Jaune gulped but he drew his sword and extended his shield out and got into position. Kamui's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion but whatever was going through his head he shook off. The silver armored boy drew his golden sword took his stance. Jaune noticed that he didn't have his gun with him though like Pyrrha said. Kamui laughed though, making Jaune confused.

"I can scarcely believe this. An Arc and a Legacy meeting up to train together just like our ancestors. Our ancestors must be proud to see this from the afterlife. I know my brothers have wronged your father and your family but I mean to fix that here. No matter the outcome of this fight I wish to reestablish the friendship between our families. Let us fight with honor!" Kamui boasted as he bowed respectfully with his sword. Jaune smiled at his friend, truly he was different from the Legacy's his father spoke of. He really wished his father could meet him, he would like him. Even their friends seemed to be swept up by the atmosphere.

"Go Kamui! Go Jaune!" Ruby and Nora shouted from the stands. Soon following them were some of their other friends. Yang began clashing her gauntlets together in cheers. Weiss was even giving a few cheers of her own. Even Blake and Ren the stoics were looking quite interested. Pyrrha was staring at him though with a smile on her face and Jaune felt his adrenaline rush to him. Despite his affections for the Snow Angel his partner had faith in him and he wouldn't let her down! Damn his fears!

"Begin!" Jaune let out a battle cry as he charged at Kamui, sword raised. Kamui's eyes widened and Jaune slashed at him from his left. Except Kamui dodged it with a simple step back. Jaune grit his teeth and tried to shield bash him but his blow was topped and he almost stumbled forward. His eyes widened when he saw that Kamui had stopped his shield from hitting him by simply sticking his free hand out and palming the shield. His eyes held a confused look as he pushed him back, making Arc grunt as he fell onto his butt.

"Jaune? Is something wrong?" Kamui asked, concerned. Jaune just scrambled up to his feet refusing to embarrass himself and disappoint his friends. He swung at him but his eyes widened when Kamui clashed his own sword against his. Kamui caught Crocea Mors on his Yato's guard and twisted his sword to force Jaune's blade down before he brought his blade up in a slash. Jaune brought his shield up to block it a there was a loud clash. Jaune grit his teeth as his arm was thrown back, his shield flying from his grip. Then before he could attack again the air was knocked out of him as Kamui booted him in the stomach, sending him across the arena.

"Urk!" Jaune gasped as he tried to regain his breath. He used his sword to bring himself to his feet and looked towards the white screen to see that he was barely in the green thanks to his large reserves while Kamui wasn't touched at all. There wasn't even any aura loss from exertion! He noticed that it had gone silent though. He looked up at his friends to see that they all looked disappointed in him, he couldn't bear to look at Pyrrha or Ruby though. His eyes settled back on his silver clad friend who was glaring at him now.

"Jaune? Are you playing with me? Am I not good enough for you to try harder? Fine then I'll make you take me seriously!" Jaune's eyes widened when Kamui sprinted towards him. His eyes lost sight of him and it wasn't until he heard steps behind him that he turned around to slash. Except Kamui stepped to the side to dodge it and Jaune's eyes widened when Kamui slashed him right across the chest with his sword, making him fall. Thankfully his aura stopped him from taking what would have been a lethal strike but he also felt like he got the wind knocked out of him. Kamui's eyes were staring at him with wide eyes of realization and Jaune just lowered his head in shame.

"Stop! Mr. Arc has been knocked into the red. Next time Mr. Legacy hold back, you almost seriously hurt Mr. Arc," Goodwitch said and Jaune swore he heard Kamui say that he did hold back, only making Jaune feel even worse.

"Damn it…" Jaune cursed in his head. Everyone expected him to be a great warrior and Kamui thought that he would give him a challenge. He hoped to dear Oum that his father would never hear about this match.

"Hey…come on get up…" Jaune lifted his head up to see Kamui holding his hand out to him with a kind smile. Jaune was surprised but he took his hand and let his friend pull him up.

"Sorry about that Jaune…Still…I said no matter the outcome our families would be friends, starting with us. This doesn't change anything," Kamui said kindly and Jaune couldn't help but smile at his friend.

"Mr. Arc go back up to the stands. Mr. Legacy I would normally make you stay but we are shorter on time today," Goodwitch ordered. Kamui went back to the stands and jumped back up to the stands while Jaune just took the stairs. He sat away from the rest of the group despite the kindness Kamui showed him though.

"Don't worry, Kamui isn't mad," Jaune jumped when he saw Pyyrha sit next to him.

"I know but I can't help but feel like I just disappointed everyone…" Jaune muttered. Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder in comfort as they watched Yang and Weiss go head to head next in the ring.

"You didn't lose any honor Jaune. You fought despite the odds, not many can say that when going against an opponent that outmatched them," Pyyrha comforted. Jaune just sighed as he watched Yang and Weiss fight, they were both so much better than he was. Either of them would have been a better match for Kamui, the fight he deserved.

"You'll be the warrior Kamui wants to fight, I'm sure of it. He's not wrong about things like that…and I believe in you too…" Pyrrha soothed and Jaune smiled at her, sadly.

"Thanks Pyrrha…you're the best partner I could ask for…" Jaune said sincerely.

"Hey, remember, Kamui's your partner too, don't be afraid to turn to him or any of your friends," Pyrrha said.

"If only it were that simple…"


	5. Forever Fall

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone, here's another one. It turned out way longer than I thought it would. Anyway tell me how you guys feel about it!

Chapter 4: Forever Fall

 **Jaune's POV**

"Jaune? Are you ok?" Jaune jumped in his seat and groaned as he rubbed his eyes. He thought he only laid his head down for a few moments but apparently he fell asleep. He looked up at the clock and wanted to cry since class wasn't going to start for another half-hour. He only got ten minutes of sleep!

"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked as he tried to make himself look presentable.

"No not quite, but she'll be here soon," Jaune groaned as he realized it was Kamui and Ruby.

"Hey guys…" he greeted tiredly as his two friends took the seats on his left.

"You're here early, I didn't know you left breakfast early just to come here. I didn't know you liked Professor Oobleck's class that much?" Ruby asked, concerned. Jaune cursed under his breath at his lack of subtlety. He was at lunch with his friends but he had to leave the good company he had to help Cardin Winchester…

"Is everything alright? You look very tired. Even after your nap you don't look much better," Kamui asked.

"Yeah, you haven't exactly been…you lately and you've been hanging out with Cardin more than us lately," Ruby said, bless her naïve but perceptive mind.

"Is Cardin holding something over your head? If so, we can easily sort this out," Kamui said with dangerous intent. That was exactly why Jaune did not want his business to be found out, he refused to get on Kamui's bad side.

"Pyrrha, Ren and Nora are worried about you, Jaune. You're their leader, is something wrong?" Ruby asked.

"I'm just tired, I didn't sleep well last night. Things have been very tense lately that's all," Jaune offered, or at all really. He hated lying but this was the lesser of two evils he would have to endure otherwise.

He wanted to tell them that he was a fake. He already told Pyrrha about it and like an idiot he pushed her away and probably hurt her. His secret had been found out though, his secret that he had faked his transcripts to Beacon. That bastard, Cardin had heard him when he was confessing to Pyrrha up on the roof. Then when he pushed Pyrrha away like and idiot the bastard came out of nowhere. He threatened to reveal his…less than honorable ways of entering Beacon if he didn't do everything he commanded.

For better or for worse Cardin had only forced him to do his work for him. By extension that meant he had to do the whole of CRDL's work. Fortunately Jaune seemed to be relatively good at the bookworm part of school, even Weiss couldn't denounce him for that. It was simple to do some of the lighter assignments however the assignments had been getting harder and more numerous, especially from Oobleck's class. It was very difficult to figure out how to write five different papers and make them look different from each other. He had been losing sleep constantly and it was getting harder to think.

Except recently Cardin had begun to force him to hang around him so he could carry his stuff. That and he had started putting him down a lot now, more than before anyway. It probably had to do with the fact that Pyrrha and the rest of his friends always kicked his butt in spars no matter what they did. Pyrrha, Yang and Kamui were especially vicious in humiliating them in combat. So naturally they took out their anger on him since he could do nothing about it, even if they held something over him. They didn't hit him too much since that would draw too much attention but they were merciless in their words. Especially concerning the fact that Kamui had been forced to step in as leader for his team.

Jaune really wished he could step up like Kamui seemed to think he could. Be a warrior and face the opposition with his head held high and damn the consequences. Except…Jaune couldn't do it, it was that very reason that kept him from doing just that. He tried to refute him but Cardin had to remind him how Kamui and Ruby, two of his best friends would react to the knowledge that he, an Arc was a total fake.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _"Pyrrha, I can't accept your help, I just can't. You heard Kamui before, he believes I am a warrior. How can I accept those words if I have to rely on you? Kamui would kill me if he found out I cheated and Ruby…I don't even want to think of how disappointed she'd be!" Jaune yelled at his red-haired partner._

 _"Jaune, you know that you can trust me. I won't tell anyone else, but you should accept my help! Please! I'm your partner, I can help you," Pyrrha pleaded, her green eyes seeming to beg as well. Jaune felt bad but he had to turn her away for her own good._

 _"No Pyrrha…I am a fake…I faked my stupid transcripts. I have to do this on my own. I'm an Arc, I have to prove myself before I ask for help. I refuse to weigh anyone down with my incompetence…" Jaune said sorrowfully. His partner had accepted what he was but he still had to turn her away, for both of their own goods._

 _"Jaune plea-" Jaune didn't let her finish._

 _"No! Pyrrha…I'm sorry just…leave me alone for now…" Jaune said. Pyrrha looked hurt and that made it hurt even more but she didn't say anything and walked away, leaving him to his own thoughts._

 _"Damn it…" Jaune cursed. Why couldn't things just work themselves out for once? Why did everything have to be so screwed up?_

 _"Wow Jauney Boy, I didn't know you were such a rebel!" oh come on! Jaune turned to see that Cardin had pulled himself onto the roof from the room below. That bastard was listening in! Damn it, why couldn't he just keep his voice down like a normal person. The time he doesn't want to be heard, someone decides to listen!_

 _"Don't worry Jauney Boy, I won't say anything about this. After all, why would I rat out the guy who's going to help me and my team out with our work from now on?" he asked cheekily. Jaune narrowed his eyes at the bully, he refused to be reduced more than he already was._

 _"No way! I would prefer being expelled to being your lapdog!" Jaune retorted. Damn it he didn't want to be expelled but whatever Cardin had in mind would no doubt be worse than that._

 _"Oh really? How would your friends react to hearing that you don't just have little skill in combat, but you're a fake as well? You'd lost all credibility and embarrass your family. Your two buddies, the short cutie with the hood and the brat in silver would lose all faith in you. Why they'd probably be the first ones to kick you out," Cardin said sadistically and Jaune froze at that._

 _It was no secret that besides Pyrrha, Ruby and Kamui were his closest friends. After all they were the ones who befriended him first. They stuck by him even through all the mess ups he'd managed to do every since their school year started. They were both as awkward a she was even if it was hard to tell that Kamui was. In a way they were both what he aspired to be and what he should be. It was more than that though, they were like his siblings in a way. He has a few little sisters and he's always wanted another boy in the family. He dared not think of how they would react if they found out he was a fake. Better to be at the bottom of the barrel than to not be in the barrel at all._

 _"Fine…I'll do it…" Jaune grumbled._

 **Present**

"Jaune, Pyrrha might be too nice to say anything so I will say it for her. She misses you and JNPR is your team, I'm fine with standing in every now and then but you were assigned to them officially," Kamui said in a stern tone. Jaune smiled at him since he was a lot nicer than he deserved. That made it easier to deal with everything Cardin said; he knew Kamui wasn't trying to wrestle control away from him.

"Hey guys!" Nora's energetic voice cut in. Jaune silently thanked his teammate for showing up now. Nora along with the rest of their friends took the seats around them and Jaune felt better but unfortunately Cardin and his goons showed up.

"Hey Jauney Boy, come on. We're sitting up there!" Cardin called as he and his team moved up to their usual seats near the top of the rows. The eyes of his friends went to him and he ignored them as he sighed and stood up. He caught the sad look of Pyrrha unfortunately as he made his way to Cardin and sat next to him. The orange haired brute patted his back, making him cringe in pain. Thankfully he already gave him the assignments he needed to do for him already.

"Greetings class, please pass up your papers now and we shall get underway as soon as possible!" Professor Oobleck said as he stormed into the classroom. It was still a little unnerving how fast he did…well everything, it was like if Ruby could use her semblance for normal body functions and keep it on twenty-four seven. It was probably the coffee but Jaune never heard of this kind of a rush, how much did he drink?

"These papers better be the real deal Jauney Boy…" Cardin whispered as they passed their papers up to the front.

"Don't worry…I made sure…" Jaune said tiredly. He was much too tired to really be afraid of him at the time. He really wished he was in Port's class, he could sleep through the whole class and not have to worry about the teacher noticing.

"Excellent, now class I wish to review information from last week on the Faunus Revolution, it will be on the exam after all. Mr. Arc do you remember the turning point in the third year of the war?" the energetic professor asked.

"The battle at Fort Castle where the Faunus were underestimated by General Lagune, who thought he had the advantage with the night but the Faunus could see in the dark," Jaune said like straight out of a textbook. He noticed that Weiss seemed surprised and that made him feel a little better. Maybe the Snow Angel would finally take notice of him after all through his brain instead of his skills with a sword.

"Excellently put Mr. Arc. Now I am sure everyone remembers this, as it is one of the most pivotal moments of the war. Some would be so bold to say that the moment they won this battle, the Revolution was won for the Faunus. How do you all feel about this conflict? This war is now two or three generations in the past after all," Professor Oobleck said. Jaune felt the tension run high in the room, the professor had asked a very dangerous question. Why would he ask something like that? Was it because of the Festival approaching soon?

"I believe it had to be done. The Faunus were being pushed around and diplomacy had failed for years. The Great War was fought for individualism why couldn't the Faunus have that?" a Faunus student spoke out.

"Animals don't deserve rights like that…" Cardin responded and Jaune tried to shrink away from him so he wouldn't be associated with him. That seemed to just set off a bomb in the class though.

"You're not the most open minded individual are you, Cardin?" Blake asked with what sounded like a hiss.

"Oh? What are you? A sympathizer, even after what the White Fang is up to?" Sky threw out.

"The White Fang stood for the good of Faunus," another Faunus student spoke out.

"Stood being the key word, they've fallen from grace lately…Do you know the havoc they've caused now?" surprisingly Weiss got involved and she said those words with such anger that everyone went silent. Jaune saw Blake stare at her with what could only be called betrayal. He also saw how uncomfortable Ruby and Yang were. Kamui seemed tense and Ren was passive and even Nora seemed to be still for once.

"That's easy for you to say, you didn't have family killed in the war!" a Faunus student barked at the heiress.

"I did have family die in that war, you brute! My grandfather lost two siblings and a son!" Weiss retorted with clenched fists.

"We all had family fight and die in the revolution. There is no need to put labels on anyone," Pyrrha intervened.

"So you had family fight who fought in the war then? Against the Faunus? That's a bit hypocritical coming from someone who tries to treat everyone equally," another Faunus threw out, making Pyrrha visibly freeze but she sucked in a breath and calmed down.

"It was my family's duty as citizens of Mistral. They called for us to serve and we answered the call. It was that simple, my grandfather took no pride in it," Pyrrha said in a calm voice.

"Tell that to the towns you sacked and the children who starved!" the same Faunus retorted. Then there was a loud bang and Jaune saw that the professor had apparently slammed his cup down onto the table.

"I see that even in ones so young, grudges live on. Tell me, how many of you had family fight in that war?" Oobleck asked. Everyone raised there hand, even Jaune had to admit it, his grandfather fought in that war. The war was such a big deal that everyone had someone in it, casualties were high and drafts were a common thing. He looked at all his friends and saw that every single one of them had their hands up. They all seemed rather shaken by the turn of events, even Nora and Ruby the most energetic and playful looked plain depressed. Except surprisingly when he looked at Kamui his hand wasn't up and he looked quite…scared? That was a first to see on him.

"Mr. Legacy, your hand was not raised. Did your family not participate in the conflict? I find that highly unlikely considering your families fame," Professor Oobleck commented and Jaune saw Kamui's eyes narrow. So…the professor was intending to single him out…why?

"No…my family did not participate in the war on either side…my father deemed it…unfit to waste our energies on a pointless conflict…" Kamui said slowly.

"Waste of energy! Doesn't your family support Faunus equality?!" the Faunus who attacked Pyrrha yelled.

"It's because he knows animals don't deserve rights! After all Faunus serve his family, he doesn't want them to get any ideas!" Cardin laughed. That seemed to set off another bomb and Jaune took this opportunity to scoot away from Cardin and his bunch, thankfully they didn't notice or care. The bully seemed to have a sadistic grin on his face as he watched the classroom start turning their anger against the white haired boy. Jaune watched Kamui face fall and he saw Ruby hug his side as he just took the insults. Their friends tried to defend him but even Yang and Nora's voice couldn't overpower the entire classroom's. Most of the insults had to do with coward or hypocrite. Jaune glared at Cardin, knowing that the bully wanted this. He couldn't bully him physically so he would do it mentally like a coward.

"Your father was a coward and a hypocritical bastard! How do you live knowing your father had no honor to speak of? He doesn't deserve that statue in Vale!" someone shouted. Then as if a switch went off in his head, Kamui's head snapped up and Jaune saw his eyes flash dangerously.

"Enough!" he shouted as he slammed his hand into the desk with a loud crack. The entire room went dead silent at that outburst, even the Professor looked concerned.

"Never…speak ill of my father like you knew him…As for the war, it was a waste of life and time. It is my family's duty to protect Remnant from monsters not interfere in civil wars," Kami said icily and no one spoke against him for that. The bell ending the period sounded after he finished.

"Class dismissed, please finish the required readings before next class!" Professor Oobleck said as he sped out of the classroom, faster than Ruby could. Jaune saw Kamui's posture slacken as everyone filed out of the room. He only moved when Ruby grabbed his arm and started pulling him out of the room. Jaune wanted to go speak to him but before he could get up, Cardin wrapped his arm around his neck, pulling him along.

"Come on Jauney Boy! We got Combat Class next and you should use that time to get started on our assignments," Cardin said and Jaune groaned in resignation.

 **Kamui's POV**

Kamui grunted as his Yato clashed against Ruby's Crescent Rose. He caught the scythe on his swords guard and pulled the weapon down and slashed at his silver-eyed friend. Ruby back flipped away from his slash but Kamui wasn't going to let her get away. He gripped his sword in both hands and slashed after her, barely missing her head on purpose, making her stumble slightly in surprise before he stepped to the side and scored a slash against her side. Her aura took the hit and Goodwitch didn't stop him so he kept going.

He quickly brought a cross cut towards her body but she blocked it and hooked her scythe around his blade. Kamui straightened his sword out before she pulled though, freeing his blade. Then he brought his sword up to block her strike from hitting his head, sparks flying as their blades clashed. Then Kamui quickly twisted to the side to dodge her second strike and slashed at her horizontally but Ruby used her semblance to quickly back off until she was on the other side of the arena from him. Kamui smiled at her thought and she smiled back at him. In the corner of his vision he saw that Ruby was hanging in the green by a thread while his bar was down slightly just from exertion.

"You're the fastest person I've ever fought, Ruby. After weeks of sparing against you I still can't seem to match your sheer speed," Kamui complimented as he took a few cautious steps to the side, keeping his sword held in it's usual place. Sweat was falling down his face but he felt great, Ruby was a great partner to spar against, her speed was vastly above his own admirable speed. He had to rely on his reaction speed and keen perception against her. It felt good to have a good spar where he could let his emotions run free, especially considering what he just went through in history.

"Imagine how I feel. I've never beaten you or Pyrrha yet. You're just as annoying to fight as Pyrrha but in a different way!" Ruby commented before she disappeared in a flurry of rose petals.

Kamui's eyes followed her blurry movements though and immediately ducked under her scythe as he went to the ground and kicked her legs out making her yelp. She hit the ground and Kamui kicked her with his other leg, launching her before he flipped onto his feet and charged after her. Ruby used her scythe to catch herself and then she pointed her weapon backwards and fired, launching her at Kamui. He slid under her scythe and caught her side with a sword slash, making her land hard. Kamui wasn't finished though and quickly ran towards her before she got up. He stepped on her scythe before she could lift it and grabbed her and placed his sword at her throat, making her groan in annoyance.

"Miss Rose is not in the red but she is in an inescapable position so Mr. Legacy is the winner," Goodwitch said. Kamui sighed and let go of Ruby and helped her up and she thanked him as they both wiped the sweat they worked up. Their fight went on for probably ten minutes. Kamui looked up at the white screen to see Ruby's aura at half while his was down only by a bit. He suffered no strikes but aura was still spent from exertion itself. Ruby was getting better every time but so was he.

"Excellent progress, both of you. Miss Rose, you extended the match two minutes from last time you two fought. Your speed was timed better but still could use some work and more control. Nonetheless you kept your opponent on his toes and kept the advantage away from him for most of the match. You wisely avoided prolonged melee against an opponent with superior strength who is also prone for counters. Mr. Legacy you have improved as well from my examinations. Your perception and instincts were superb as well as your counters, as usual you suffered no hits like Miss Nikos but do not let it go to your head. I must also stress that you should exercise your semblance during spars if it can end a match sooner. Both of you are sure to enter the tournament if you keep up the good work," Goodwitch critiqued.

"Thank you Professor," Ruby and Kamui said as they went back up to join their friends in the stands who greeted them with gusto.

"I felt like I was watching an anime during that fight!" Nora gushed as she went on to speak faster than anyone could keep up. Kamui looked at Ren who just shrugged and nudged Nora to stop. The orange haired girl just chuckled as she apologized for going off on a tangent again.

"I still couldn't hit you. It's just like Pyrrha but instead of not being able to get past a shield you keep dodging or catching my scythe and countering," Ruby pouted as she pulled on his cape, making Kamui laugh as he tugged his cape away from her and poked her forehead.

"I am the Rider of War, Ruby. I've been at this a little longer than you," Kamui said kindheartedly and Ruby pouted again before she smiled and pushed him again.

"I'll get a hit on one of you someday," she promised and Kamui smiled at her promise. Out of all his friends, besides Pyrrha and himself, Ruby seemed to be the most determined to grow as a fighter. He admired that about her and it earned her respect from all her peers.

"I hold no doubt of that, Reaper…" Kamui said softly, fighting down a blush. Ruby blushed and everyone laughed at the exchange. Apparently over the weeks, the nickname Kamui picked out for her began to make her embarrassed. Except she only got like that when he said it for some reason.

"Don't worry sis, I know your pain. All of us do, no one has gotten a solid hit on the Rider of War or the Goddess of Victory. No one has even gotten them to use their semblances yet," Yang said as she hugged her sister, making her squirm again since she got smothered yet again. Kamui learned after a few days that the gesture was normal for them despite the fact that Ruby didn't like it.

"Of course no one has pushed them that far, they're the strongest of our year," Weiss said matter of fact. Except Kamui could sense the aggravation in her voice from a mile away. Thank Oum they weren't still hung up on the talk in Professor Oobleck's class.

"I wonder why Goodwitch hasn't decided to make you two fight yet?" Blake commented and Kamui had to wonder about that himself.

It had been a month now since school started. Kamui had spared against all of his friends and had won a victory over all of them. Pyrrha was in the same boat as him, having fought basically everyone else and won every time. They were the best of their year whether people liked it or not. Except for some reason they had never gotten to spar against each other yet. Kamui was a bit annoyed at that since Pyrrha was the one he wanted to spar against the most. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be pushed to use his semblance against her and he would force her to do the same. Surely if Goodwitch wanted to see all his skills then she would put him against the one that could actually do it.

That wasn't the only thing that changed over the month however. Kamui took Ozpin's words about his father to heart…despite how much it infuriated him that the man dared talk about him. Even though he didn't want to overshadow Ruby and Jaune he took the leadership position seriously and had showed everyone the leader in him. He found that he was very good at getting both Team RWBY and Team JNPR to calm down, both teams trusted him and many other students were finding it hard to deny his abilities. Kamui was happy that he was succeeding in proving himself. Except the reason for him taking it up wasn't really to prove himself a true Legacy.

"Speaking of which…where is Pyrrha…" Ruby said but everyone knew the answer. Kamui sighed as Ren and Nora both stepped aside to show that Pyrrha was sitting down still. Specifically she was staring at Jaune, whom was sitting on the opposite section from them. Kamui followed her gaze and he felt his anger flare as he saw that his blonde friend was with Team CRDL. He looked miserable and it just made Kamui question why he was with them when he was clearly displeased.

"What is Jaune doing? I can't imagine he actually likes Cardin or any of his team," Yang asked a bit worriedly.

"Well, he has been off lately and he has been hanging out with us less…" Ruby said in a depressed tone and Kamui gave her a small side hug, which she returned but she clung to him, making him blush. Yang gave him a teasing/threatening smile and he rolled his eyes. She was just being affectionate right?

"I think he's being blackmailed…" Blake deadpanned.

"I agree," Ren said but he had a noticeable displeased tone.

"There isn't much we can do about it with just claims," Weiss said and Kamui was actually surprised she cared enough. Jaune had sought after her quite a lot in the weeks and she just seemed to be annoyed by it more than anything. Kamui wanted to knock the blonde idiot over the head though since he wasn't noticing Pyrrha's growing affections for him. Then again Ren didn't seem to notice Nora's or maybe he didn't care. Not that he would ever interfere, Kamui didn't want that kind of drama.

"Why isn't he coming to us then?" Ruby asked as she still clung to Kamui, much to his discomfort and pleasure. It must be her way of getting back at her for embarrassing her with her nickname. Still his eyes went downcast though as he thought about everything. Was Jaune staying away from them because of what happened at the beginning of the year? He thought he made it clear that he was still his friend, even if he was a little bad at fighting.

"Maybe he's embarrassed?" Blake suggested.

"Or scared…someone like that doesn't have business associating with us…" Weiss said, ok there was the Ice Queen they were used to.

"Why don't we go break their legs!?" Nora suggested and Kamui wouldn't have minded doing that when he saw Cardin hit Jaune, knocking him out of his seat. Cardin was a bully plain and simple and Kamui couldn't stand people like him. He should have been using his strength to help people not use it to oppress and cause pain. It greatly angered him that Cardin was bulling Jaune and that he couldn't do anything about it.

"Nora, we can't just break people's legs even if they might deserve it…" Ren said simply.

"What do you think, Kamui?" Nora asked and everyone turned to him, making him sigh. This was really what forced him to showcase his leadership ability, well that and Ruby would always ask him questions about problems from leadership class.

Jaune had started associating with Cardin only a few weeks after they started and it had only gotten worse. His absence left things a bit…unstable for JNPR so they turned to Kamui for leadership due to Jaune's absence. He led well or at least he hoped he was and the he liked it but it felt wrong since it wasn't really his team exactly, sort of, it was still confusing what position he was supposed to be in. He wondered if this is what Ozpin had in mind when he put him where he was.

It was sad because Jaune was doing well as a leader. He might have been a clumsy idiot who tripped over his words, especially with Weiss. Except he did well in classes to make up for what he couldn't do in training. He always had a remarkable way of taking in all the details on scenario problems they were given in leadership class. It was a bit similar to his brother, Arthur though his brother was never quite as…lacking as Jaune in the combat department.

"Well as much as I would like to do something, we can't exactly just force things. Like Weiss said, he needs to come to us," Kamui said sadly. Everyone seemed to be in a somber mood from that so Ruby, bless her heart tried to perk everyone up.

"Come on! Let's go eat! I think I heard that they're brining in exotic desserts today!" she said excitedly. Nora seemed to bounce back from that and said something about pancakes before she ran off, pulling Ren with her.

"Well, let's go before Nora eats everything," Yang said as she left with Blake in toe. Kamui turned back to see that Pyrrha hadn't moved from her spot yet though.

"Coming, Kamui?" Weiss asked and Ruby tried pulling on is arm.

"Go on, I'll catch up," he said. Ruby seemed sad and he thought she looked a bit…depressed? Why? He would see her in a few minutes at the cafeteria. Nonetheless she left with Weiss in toe after telling him to hurry up. Kamui sighed and walked over to Pyrrha and sat next to her.

"You know nothing will happen if you just stare at him all day right?" Kamui joked.

"Maybe…or maybe he'll get the hint that I want to help him," Pyrrha answered back. Kamui sighed as he watched Cardin and his goons push Jaune around. They started leaving the room and Jaune was forced to carry their things.

"Why can't he just come to us for help? I really will break their legs," Pyrrha said icily.

"You've been listening to Nora too much," Kamui replied and he actually managed to make her laugh.

"Thanks for talking to me Kamui. I just wish that Jaune would just come clean to me. I am sure you realize that there must be more to what is happening than he lets on. I want to help him because he's struggling. No one can do everything alone and I don't want Jaune to suffer from it," Pyrrha said softly and Kamui smiled.

"So…when are you going to tell him how you feel? That will probably get him to open up to you," Kamui smirked slightly as Pyrrha blushed as red as her hair.

"What?! What are you talking about? He's my partner and leader, not that you haven't been doing an amazing job but you know it should be him doing it. My feelings don't matter!" Pyrrha threw out quickly. Kamui was nice and didn't laugh but he couldn't wipe the smirk off his face.

"I am not the only one that sees your growing feelings for the blonde knight. Ren and Nora see it as well as Team RWBY. If you want him to come clean I would say tell him how you feel," Kamui said supportively.

"Look at you, I thought you were the type to stay away from fights that didn't involve actually fighting," Pyrrha joked and Kamui flushed before he huffed.

"I wasn't exactly given a choice…besides, I am only saying common sense. That oblivious knight isn't going to notice by himself after all so you will have to go take the initiative. Think about it like a duel if you would," Kamui said.

"Sigh…he's only interested in Weiss though…" Pyrrha sighed dejected.

"We both know she won't say yes to him with the way things are going now, stop hiding and just go for it," Kamui pressed and Pyrrha smirked at him, which made him a little nervous. He recognized that look all too well.

"Well then, since we're talking about romance. Why haven't you gone after Ruby yet?" she asked coyly. Kamui immediately flinched and blushed hard.

"You see! It's not so easy is it? Come on, I've seen the way you two spar and act around each other. You're both awkward with showing how much you care but I see it. And if I see it then our friends probably see it as well," Pyrrha teased. Kamui just sighed softly as he thought about the idea of romance. It wasn't that the idea of having someone close to his heart was bad per say. The problem was that the things that came with him were different.

"I'll give you your own advice then. You have to go for it. Ruby is a nice girl, she already seems to adore you and I am pretty sure that she's been trying to flirt with you, in her own way of course," Pyrrha pressed.

Kamui's heart warmed at the thought of his silver-eyed friend, known as Ruby Rose. Indeed as much as he would loath to admit it, he did feel an attraction towards her in the romantic sense. Unlike his friends and everyone else in the school he got a room to himself and Ruby would often spend time with him there instead of her own dorm since she thought he would be lonely. In truth he would be and he greatly appreciated her company, not that the others didn't hang out with him but she made the most effort. He'd probably be an oblivious wreck as well if Flora and Felica didn't teach him to be more observant with women, kind of anyway. He could see growing affection in her actions even if it wasn't the intent.

She was a kind soul who simply desired to help people and grow stronger to do it. Her inspiration came from stories told to her as a child and Kamui found that interesting since a lot of dreams from that age rarely survive so long though he was living proof it was possible as well. Maybe she was a bit naïve and childish but Kamui found that more endearing than annoying like most of their friends. He blushed as he let his mind wander about being in a relationship with her. To be able to hold her close and not be embarrassed, fly around with her on Nyx which they had yet to do still or even just mess around in a forge together. He sighed in resignation though since it couldn't be that easy.

"Pyrrha…you know that it isn't that simple for me…I'm different, a little too different…" Kamui said bitterly. Pyrrha sighed as well and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I believe you can trust her like you trusted me. If you don't think you can, then try to get a feel for her more. Just try for me, promise me that much," Pyrrha said. Kamui sighed and stood up from his seat.

"I promise not to give up, but we'll see. I think it's still a bit too early for that," Kamui said and Pyrrha nodded as she stood up with him.

"Come on then, let's get going, I want to eat too," Pyrrha said as they both walked off, after their friends with goals in mind.

 **Ruby's POV**

"Guys! Put that back!" Ruby screamed as she frantically tried to get a package from Yang. Her sister had one hand on her head, holding her back as she shook the package in hand against her ear.

"Oh come on, aren't you at least a little curious? I mean it's a package and it's addressed to your little knight in shining armor!" Yang teased, making Ruby only try harder to get the package back.

"Kamui will get mad if he finds out you went through his stuff and then he'll get mad at me!" Ruby pleaded as she tackled her sister down but she just laughed and made sure she laid over the box, keeping her away from it.

"Guys! Help me! As your leader I order you to help me!" Ruby yelled at the amused Weiss and Blake.

"Why do you care so much? I've seen Yang go through our mail plenty of times and you don't get mad at her for that," Weiss grumbled, not moving from her spot at all.

"It would be nice if someone would just win already, I am trying to read…" Blake deadpanned, not moving either.

"It's because this thing is meant for her knight in shining armor, Kamui. She can't bear that thought of him feeling any negative feelings towards her," Yang cooed as she pushed her sister off. Ruby got frustrated and didn't even respond and used her semblance to quickly snatch the box from her sister. Yang just laughed at her though.

"Be quiet! I just…don't want him to be mad at me…" Ruby pouted as she clutched the box to her chest tightly. Yang smiled at her knowingly though and Ruby shivered in her boots.

"Now Ruby…I know you have a crush but that's no reason to get this uptight," Yang teased and Ruby blushed hard, probably as red as her hood.

"Kamui is just my best friend!" Ruby shouted back but her heart was beating fast. At that moment, there was a knock on their door and Ruby quickly opened the door to see none other than her silver-clad friend himself.

"Hey, Ruby. Blake called and said you needed me for something?" Kamui asked concerned. Ruby felt her heartbeat race and she silently cursed Blake to Oum.

"Um…yes…here, I found this and it's addressed to you…" Ruby said shyly and Kamui took it from her and examined it. His eyes lit up in excitement and he quickly hugged Ruby, surprising her and making her blush intensify.

"Thanks Ruby! I can always count on you, I'll um…see you later!" Kamui ran off for his room as soon as he let go of her and Ruby just pulled on her hood a bit. She closed the door and looked back at her team who were all giving her looks. She pulled her hood over her head in embarrassment. Great, now any denials she had would be moot now. Even Blake seemed to be showing enjoyment from this.

"Fine…yes, I have a crush! Is it that hard to believe?" Ruby pouted hard.

Kamui was like her, he was moved up ahead of time to be entered into a Hunter school. He was a prodigy above herself even; he told her he hadn't even gone to combat school. His family must have trained him, similar to how her uncle Qrow trained her but at a much more advanced degree due to the gap between them. She often wondered what kind of training he must have pushed himself through to be at the level he held and if she was any judge he was still improving. It might have had to do with the fact that he was the Rider of War. She greatly admired his skills and his desire to grow as a warrior. It drove her harder to get better, she wanted to be a worthy partner and fellow leader.

It was more than just his abilities that she enjoyed about him though. Like Pyrrha he was just a nice person to know, he didn't let his family or his accolades make him arrogant. He wanted to make up for the things his family did, instead of leave them be. There was just a certain nobility about him though that she liked, it was similar to her desire to be a hero. Behind that regal noble warrior though was a kind boy who was probably as awkward as she was. Ruby was fifteen, she had crushes before but this felt different.

"Ruby…" her sister held a gentle look and Ruby calmed down a bit.

"Ruby, your crushes never lasted longer than a week, you've been star struck by him for at least four times that time. It's cute, I actually approve whether you believe it or not. Besides…I don't think I could beat him, not that I wouldn't try to of course. But that's not the point! I think you're falling in love, sis. Besides I saw the way you were hugging him," Yang said and Ruby just blushed as she hid in her hood again.

"At least you aim high, you've chosen the one good Legacy…" Weiss commented as she opened her notebook and started writing some things down.

"But…guys…I don't even know what to do…I don't even know that much about him…" Ruby lamented.

"Well, there's one thing you can do then! When we're on the trip to Forever Fall, we'll make sure you two are together so you can bond!" Yang announced and Ruby paled.

"Please don't…" Ruby begged but her sister had none of it.

"Nonsense! I can hardly let my little sister's first love go to waste…besides…he's rich remember…" Yang said and Ruby grumbled. So that was why she wasn't really angry about it.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure nothing bad happens. I will make sure everything goes smoothly…right girls?" Yang asked.

"Sure…" Blake said.

"Of course, I will make sure Ruby gets the social status she desires," Weiss declared and Ruby face palmed.

"I'm not interested in him because of benefits!" Ruby shouted. Though she wouldn't mind if he did buy her some things she'd been saving for…no bad thoughts!

 **Forever Fall**

"Now class, Forever Fall may look beautiful but do not be so caught up in it that you forget we are in Grimm infested territory. Professor Peach has instructed you all to collect the sap from the trees here. Our supply of syrup has run dry and we need more. While this is a resupply mission, it also doubles as experience in the field. Do not stray too far and do not attract the Grimm if you can help it. Do not be afraid to defend yourselves of course," Professor Goodwitch said as she waved them to go. Ruby moved to go with her team but Yang pushed her towards Kamui and she groaned. He looked like he was going to go with Pyrrha and the rest of Jaune's team since Cardin dragged off the blonde knight. The rider looked sad and that made it easier for Ruby to approach him.

"Kamui? Can you come with me? I want to work with you since you know…we're partners too…" Ruby said, lamely. That sounded a lot better in her head. Still it seemed to work since he smiled at her.

"Sure, but doesn't Weiss want to go with you?" he asked and Ruby shook her head.

"It was uh…her idea actually for me to go with you. Since you're my partner too she thinks I need to spend some time with you. I always do the activities with her after all…" she didn't lie thankfully, she sucked at lying.

"Alright then, come on lets go. Maybe we'll finish first, what do you think?" Kamui asked as he waved off Pyrrha and the others. Ruby sighed as she followed him off away from their friends. She made sure to ignore the looks Yang and Weiss were giving her.

"I think so, I mean speed is my thing," she joked and they shared a laugh. Then there was an uncomfortable silence that followed them since Ruby didn't know what to talk about. Apparently Kamui didn't know either since he wasn't saying anything.

"Do you know what's going on with Jaune?" Ruby asked trying to make small talk.

"Nothing aside from suspicions…he hasn't said anything to us. Pyrrha isn't taking it well. Ren and Nora are well…they haven't said anything yet but I know they miss him," Kamui sighed. Ruby frowned at that, what was Jaune doing? Didn't he see that he was hurting his team?

"I thought we smacked that false bravado out of him?" Ruby asked. Jaune was a funny and caring guy as long as he wasn't trying to "man up".

"I don't think it has to do with false bravado really. To be honest I think Pyrrha knows what is going on but she hasn't said anything to me about it," Kamui commented. Now that was something she didn't think she'd hear, something that Pyrrha wouldn't share with Kamui?

"So, what do you think is the problem then? Do you think it has to do with the fact that he isn't…the best at fighting?" Ruby asked. She would feel down if she was bad at fighting in a school meant to teach fighting.

"Maybe, until he comes forth with the knowledge there isn't a whole lot we can do. Even if we have an idea of what is going on, I doubt Goodwitch will be pleased to find out that CRDL has come down with a…case of broken limbs," Kamui half joked. Ruby shared a laugh with him. Silence fell between them again but this time Kamui decided to break the silence.

"The falling leaves remind me of your petals when you use your semblance…they're even the same shade of red but not quite as beautiful…" Kamui said shyly and Ruby blushed. Compliments from her crush? This was either going very well or…no don't think about the negative!

"Thanks…they say my mother's semblance left roses behind too," Ruby said softly, feeling her heart clench at the thought of her mother. She was only a little girl, around five when her mother passed on, she couldn't remember a whole lot about her, besides the fact that she looked a little like her. Her dad wasn't exactly the most…open about her life either; she could understand that though, it hurt him to think about her. There weren't even that many pictures of her mother around. There was basically nothing of her earlier life around either.

"Ah…I see…your mother must have been quite the Huntress then. Did you inherit your semblance from her?" Kamui asked attentively. It felt…odd for Ruby to talk about her mother with him but she felt like it would be ok. Yes she felt the waterworks coming but she wasn't mad at him.

"Her name was Summer, Summer Rose. My dad and Uncle Qrow were on her team in Beacon. I remember she was a very caring mom, Yang says she was like a superhero almost. Uncle Qrow said that she was the heart of their little team. Then they said she was a very skilled Huntress, one of the best. Except they haven't told me more about her than that though," Ruby said sadly, she was surprised that she hadn't started crying yet.

"Summer Rose…I…know that name, Qrow too," Kamui said more to himself than her. Ruby's eyes widened and a little hope came to her heart.

"What do you mean? You knew my mom?" she asked hopefully and Kamui shook his head, making her heart drop again.

"I'm the same age as you, I barely remember any of it. I met her a few times, I don't remember much but the pictures remember it for me. Arthur and Kurai went to school with her, Kurai was the same year as her I believe. They mentioned her from time to time," Kamui said as he stopped and drew his sword to stab it into a particularly big tree. Ruby silently placed the jars under the hole as the sap leaked into them.

"So…your brothers knew my parents and my Uncle? And you have pictures?" Ruby asked, interested.

"Yes…they were friends, I think. In the pictures, they appeared happy. Qrow has visited my home in Mistral a few times over the years to deliver news from Kurai when he can't be bothered to come back himself. They never said much else about your mom though. My siblings' time in Beacon has never been open knowledge to me…I can show you the pictures later if you want. That package you gave me was my picture book, sent to me by Felica. I don't have the pictures yet; she's sending them separate in a special package so they don't get damaged. When they get here I'll make sure you can see them too. I intend to put the picture taken after our initiation in the book too," Kamui said happily and Ruby smiled at him, finally something to have of her mother.

"I would like that, thanks Kamui…" she couldn't help herself and hugged him, leaving the jar unattended. He wrapped his arms around her without complaint and she sighed happily. He was warm despite being clad in armor but when she realized that she blushed and let go of him. She quickly replaced the full jar with Kamui's and sealed her own.

"So…is this Felica your mom? And what about your dad? You seem to really care for him from the way you snapped at Professor Ozpin and in history class when you snapped at the class?" Ruby asked without thought. Kamui flinched at that and Ruby immediately regretted what she said.

"I…Felica…isn't my mother, she's my maid or retainer. I don't know much about my mother, she left when I was five and my father...is dead…he died when I was five also…" Kamui said in a hollow voice. Ruby's eyes widened in horror as she looked at her friend. Both parents? At the same age as she was when she lost her mother, he lost both of his parents?

"Kamui…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…" Kamui held his hand up and she cut herself off.

"It…you didn't know Ruby…it's fine…" Kamui said still in a hollow voice. He looked like all the life was sucked out of him now, he was always giving off energy but now he was just…hollow. Had no one comforted him over it, what the heck were his siblings doing!? Ruby decided to be the one to help him and hugged him making him gasp and she squeezed him tight. She felt tears brim in her eyes and they fell when he hugged her back. All the feelings of dead loved ones just came out finally. Now they had to run their course.

 **Jaune's POV**

"Aww…how cute…the two brats are sharing a moment…" Cardin fake cooed. His team all laughed quietly at the remark but Jaune just felt plain dirty. He was forced to gather a bunch of Rapier Wasps and then he had to gather six jars of the stupid tree sap, which he was allergic too. Now he was dragged up into the trees to stalk two of his best friends and was watching them during a tender moment. His mood wasn't the best at the moment.

"Yeah they are cute huh? Especially the silver-eyed brat," Sky commented. Jaune had to hold himself back from smacking the halberd wielder. He looked down at his two friends and he couldn't help but smile kindly. They did look nice together; it was cute just not in the way Sky said.

"So ready? Jauney Boy?" Cardin asked as he pushed one of the jars of sap into his hands. He stared at Cardin in confusion and the bully just pointed down at the two.

"You got those Rapier Wasps for a reason. They're attracted to the sap. Just throw the jar at them and we'll let the wasps do the rest. That'll teach that little Legacy upstart not to mess with us and all the better that his little girlfriend gets caught up in it too! Then we'll move on and do the same to the "Goddess of Victory". No one messes with Cardin Winchester or CRDL," Cardin went off on a tangent and Jaune just stared at the jar in his hands. Then he looked at his two friends who were enjoying their growing romance.

"Well Jauney Boy? Throw it already, we're going to have to move fast after all," Cardin pressed and Dove shook his shoulder. If Jaune threw the jar then those fears of his friends hating him would come true for sure. Then he would have to do the same to Pyrrha? He sighed in resignation, he was screwed either way. Oh well, better to go out swinging then whimpering.

"No…way…" Jaune took a breath and threw the jar back at Cardin, nailing him in the face.

 **Ruby's POV**

"I'm so sorry, Kamui…I don't know what to say…" Ruby sniffed. She pulled back to see him and his eyes were full of tears but they did not fall, no he was too strong for that. Why couldn't she be strong like that? She was the same age as him.

"Thank you Ruby…" he said simply as he hugged her again and she hugged him back. They stayed like that for a time, Ruby didn't know how long but she didn't care. She would comfort her friend as long as he needed and she sought comfort in him as well. Sooner than she liked though he pulled away and composed himself. She did the same and wiped her tears away.

"I think we have enough sap…" Kamui said in his usual tone as he picked up his now full jar. Ruby smiled since he seemed happier than before and picked her own jar up.

"Yeah, shall we head back?" Ruby asked.

"Yes and…thank you Ruby…I needed to let that out…I never had the chance to, not even with Pyrrha…" Kamui said gently and that made Ruby feel even better. She knew that Kamui and Pyrrha were close like siblings and it made her heart swell with joy that she had done something for him that she hadn't.

"Of course, you're my other partner and one of my bestest friends…you're the first one outside of my family I talked about my mom with…" Ruby said sincerely. They shared a smile and Ruby's feelings felt more confirmed now. She wouldn't confess to him now though, she would let things play out a little more. She wanted them to get even closer first. There was no rush after all, despite what her sister might say.

"Come on then, I don't want Yang to get mad and think something is going on," Kamui said and Ruby chuckled nervously, if only he knew. Suddenly though they heard a loud roar followed by a series of screams.

"What was that?" Kamui asked.

"It sounded like an Ursa…" Ruby said grimly. They shared a look and immediately ran to find their friends. They didn't have to look far; they found NPR and WBY together.

"Guys!" Ruby shouted as they joined them. Yang pulled her into a hug again but before she could get suffocated, Pyrrha interrupted them.

"What's going on that sounded like an Ursa?!" Pyrrha exclaimed. Suddenly three screaming boys came running, specifically Russel, Dove and Sky of CRDL but no Cardin.

"What's going on?" Yang asked as she grabbed one of them by his shirt.

"Ursa! A big one! It's going after Cardin and Arc is there too!" Russel shouted, scared out of his mind.

"We have to go help them now!" Kamui commanded.

"Yang, Blake go find Goodwitch. Weiss you're coming with me," Ruby ordered. Blake and Yang ran off without a second thought while Weiss came up to her.

"Nora, Ren you guys go look for the professor too! Pyrrha you coming?" Kamui commanded as he already took off towards the way the rest of CRDL came from. Ruby ran after him without a thought with Weiss and Pyrrha in toe. The roars of the Ursa became louder as they ran and it wasn't long until they caught sight of Cardin running away from an Ursa.

"There! Where's Jaune?!" Pyrrha exclaimed. At the mention of the blonde knight he appeared out of the bushes and blocked a strike meant for Cardin with his shield. They all came to a stop from surprise.

"Hiya!" Jaune managed to push the Ursa back and slash at it with his sword.

"Let's go!" Ruby shouted but Pyrrha held her back.

"Wait! Let him fight," Pyrrha said. Ruby wanted to argue but she saw that Kamui made no move to rush in either.

"The lunkhead will get hurt though!" Weiss pointed out. But as if to answer her call, when the Ursa was about to strike Jaune, his aura seemed to cover him in a blinding light. Ruby's eyes widened as the Ursa's claws shattered on Jaune but the glow faded after that and Jaune took the second hit, sending him flying.

"Come on…" Ruby heard Kamui say and she saw his hand gripping his sword, tightly. Jaune struggled to his feet and Ruby would have rushed in if Pyrrha wasn't holding her back. Then she saw the Spartan raise her hand up towards Jaune and she saw a blackish energy exude from her hand. Then it was like Jaune's shield was suddenly in place to block the attack. Jaune didn't buckle under the attack and raised his sword and in one slash the head of the Ursa was severed.

"What?" Ruby asked as she looked at Pyrrha, confused.

"So…you decided to spoil the surprise huh?" Kamui asked, amused.

"Was that…your semblance?" Weiss asked and Ruby was interested as well.

"Indeed…you have your speed, Weiss has her glyphs. My semblance is polarity, I can control magnetism. Quite handy for making attacks move slightly off," Pyrrha said with a laugh. Ruby huffed in annoyance, so that was why all her attacks seemed to be…off whenever she tried to hit Pyrrha. Or was she even using it during their matches? She never noticed before, such precise and subtle uses, something only Pyrrha could do.

"Come on, let's go congratulate the young warrior," Kamui said. Pyrrha ran before he finished and the rest of them shared a laugh, she was so obvious.

"So the lunkhead isn't just a shameless flirt…" Weiss commented as they walked over to the scene.

"I told you…" Ruby said as she elbowed her. Weiss scowled at her but Ruby ignored it and sped up to attend to her other best friend. Jaune helped Cardin up and the bully gave thanks but Jaune pushed him back down.

"Never…make a move against my friends…again…or I will make sure you wish that Ursa ate you…" Jaune said icily and Ruby's eyes widened at the intensity of it. He didn't stutter or fall over his words at all, it sounded intimidating. Cardin took it to heart apparently and he just looked down in shame before he got up and left the scene. They'd deal with him later.

"Jaune!" the blonde knight barely had time to react before Pyrrha hugged him and Ruby joined in soon after, making him gasp. Ruby didn't care and squeezed him tight, he could breath later.

"Easy girls, I don't want him passing out yet," Kamui joked and Ruby pulled away but Pyrrha didn't. At the very least Jaune seemed to be breathing normally now. Ruby shared a laugh with Kamui and Weiss before Kamui stepped forward.

"I told you that you were a warrior," he commended and Jaune looked down in embarrassment.

"Yeah that was so cool Jaune!" Ruby gushed, deciding that he needed to confidence booster. Her friend had been gone for too long, maybe now he would come back to them.

"A very brave warrior," Pyrrha agreed as she continued to hold him. Jaune couldn't seem to take the attention well but he didn't have to. Because at that point there were a series of roars and it brought everyone to attention.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Jaune groaned. Four Ursa had come to replace the one that was killed and they didn't look happy at all.

"Circle up!" Kamui ordered and they got into the formation. They all readied their weapons; the shings of swords being drawn and the mechanism of Ruby's Crescent Rose filled the air.

"Kamui? If you would? It's only fair since I revealed mine," Pyrrha asked.

"Oh fine…" Kamui sighed and Ruby felt her excitement come up. He was going to use his semblance! He took a deep breath and then his orange eyes started glowing and his black aura began to exude from him. Like when he fought the Nevermore the area seemed to change. Weiss and Jaune both gasped in surprise from the change. Ruby saw that they all still looked the same, despite the distortion of color around Kamui and the landscape.

"Everyone attack now! The Ursa won't be able to react!" Kamui commanded. Ruby sprung into action and she felt surprised by how fast she was moving and she wasn't using her semblance! The Ursa she went after was barely moving and she easily moved into position and severed its head with ease. She turned to see how her friends were doing and she saw Kamui and Weiss dispatch two of the Ursa while Jaune and Pyrrha both worked together to kill the last one. As soon as the Grimm were all dead, Kamui's semblance receded and everything was normal again.

"What was that? I felt so…light and powerful…and those Grimm were barely moving and the colors were all distorted and there was a black mist in a bubble shape around us," Jaune said as he fell to the ground on his rear. Kamui seemed to be a bit winded but not very.

"Your semblance what is it?" Weiss asked, or practically demanded really. Everyone seemed rather interested actually. Ruby had experienced it before but she wanted to know how it worked.

"I guess I'm not getting out of explaining now. My semblance is Space Manipulation. I create a sort of bubble or pocket around me. Everything in that space is mine to command like time or gravity. I can even individually affect certain things or beings in my space," Kamui explained. So that was why he seemed to move so fast before, it was because he was literally commanding the space the elements around him.

"So if you used it in a duel you could…say make gravity weigh us down or make us move at a snails pace?" Weiss asked. Kamui just nodded and that seemed to make Weiss think real hard. She was probably trying to figure out a weakness in it. A truly powerful semblance indeed, he could render everyone else's semblance useless with his own or nullify experience. Something so powerful was only meant to be his and Pyrrha could fight against all that to a stand still?!

"Enough of that though…you'll have to figure out my flaws in battle," Kamui waved off as he whistled. Then the roar of his dragon rang through their ears. Ruby felt excited when she heard that though.

"I believe you wanted to ride with Nyx, Ruby? We can take her back to Beacon if you want? I doubt the Professor is going to make us stay here," Kamui asked. Ruby smiled, grateful that she could avoid being interrogated by her team on her time alone with him at least for now.

"What about us?" Jaune asked.

"Someone needs to tell Goodwitch what happened and I know you don't want to fly," Kamui said as he led Ruby off.

"Shall we? She'll be landing a little ways away," he asked and Ruby nodded happily and grabbed his hand and sped off, taking him with her semblance before Weiss could stop her.

"Wait Ruby what do I tell Yang!?"


	6. Dust

I don't own Ruby or Fire Emblem

Chapter 5: Dust

 **Jaune's POV**

Jaune grunted as his sword clashed against Pyrrha's blade. He pulled away from the lock and managed to deflect Pyrrha's strike like a pro. Then he decided to be bold and go in for a strike while she was thrown off balance. Of course she wasn't called the Goddess of Victory or the Invincible Girl for nothing. She recovered right away and batted his strike away before she took a stab at him. Jaune moved to the side as he blocked her sword and then he slid his sword down until he caught her blade on his guard. He felt happy that he managed it and quickly pushed her blade down and then he slid the blade up along hers for a strike. He smiled at her surprised expression but she just smirked and ducked under his strike easily and swiped his legs out, making him hit the ground with a thud.

"Ow…" he groaned and he sighed in annoyance when he saw Pyrrha's blade inches from his face.

"I give…" he sighed and Pyrrha laughed as she offered her hand to him. He took her hand and let her help him up. Another loss but it was to be expected.

"Interesting improvement. Your coordination is much better and your swordsmanship has improved drastically over the months. That move with your guard wasn't something I taught you though. That was something Kamui might do expect of course executed a little better," Pyrrha commented as she sat down against the railing of the roof. Jaune joined her and sat next to her as he massaged his leg. After apologizing profusely to Pyrrha after Forever Fall he took her up on her offer to train him. They trained a few times every week on top of their dorm building, Jaune lost every time but Pyrrha claimed he was improving. He didn't feel like he was though but he decided never to give up again.

"Yeah, I learned it from watching his matches. I tried to get him to teach me but well, he said he isn't the best teacher," Jaune commented.

"He can teach, but I think what he meant is that he doesn't know how to teach a beginner. Besides counters like that are a little advanced for you. Be mindful that Crocea Mors' guard isn't as big as the Yato's so be careful when you try that. Of course it's always good to learn from those around you," Pyrrha said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well I doubt I could replicate little else from him. That guy moves so fast I can barely catch anything and I can't even see Ruby's movements. The fights between those two have to be put in slow motion for me to really see anything," Jaune groaned and Pyrrha laughed again. Honestly those two were insane in the sparring ring, it was hard to tell if they were being friendly or trying to kill each other. Blake once said it was their way of flirting but no one bought that.

"You have to keep trying, Jaune. I know it's frustrating; every great warrior has fallen many times in the beginning. Very rare few never fail many times in the beginning. It's grueling but the results will be worth it if you keep trying. Look at Ruby, she keeps going after Kamui and she's improving every time," Pyrrha pressed and Jaune sighed in resignation.

"I would…I just wish I got to go to combat school to learn that first…" Jaune said bitterly.

"Have you…told Kamui or Ruby yet? About your…fake entrance?" Pyrrha asked cautiously and Jaune shuddered at that idea.

"No, I don't want to think about what they'll do if they find out about me," Jaune shuddered. Kamui and Ruby had been loyal friends to him ever since he started at Beacon. Even after he was blackmailed by Cardin and separated himself from them they still believed in him. He could just imagine the disappointment they would feel if they found out he wasn't supposed to be at Beacon to begin with.

"I didn't stop believing in you, don't worry. Kamui isn't so short sighted and Ruby would probably think its cool," Pyrrha assured. She really was more than he deserved in a partner.

"I…just can't Pyrrha, I don't want to take that chance," Jaune pleaded. Pyrrha wrapped her arm around him and leaned her head onto his shoulder and Jaune sighed as he enjoyed the embrace.

"It's ok Jaune, everyone has secrets. Take the time you need, just know that I'll always be there to help you if I can. Don't forget that again, got it?" Pyrrha asked as she squeezed him tight. Jaune sighed as his guilt just bubbled up more. He was a leader and he was foolish enough to believe that no one was counting on him. Kamui whooped him in the arena for that. He would never forsake his team again, he would die trying anyway, not that he wanted to die that way exactly.

"Think I'll survive the tests? The semester is coming to a close soon. Second Semester is coming up along with the tournament. Do you think you'll have your showdown with Kamui there?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha laughed as she snuggled against him more, making Jaune blush.

"Perhaps. I am starting to believe that the teachers don't want us to fight until the tournament. Something always interrupts us when we try to have matches outside of class. If it's not some kind of Grimm incursion in the forest, it's an errand we need to run for a teacher. I think we've accepted that they want us to save it for the Vytal Festival," Pyrrha sighed.

At that point they heard a roar and Jaune saw Nyx take off towards Vale. Not an uncommon thing, after the incident in Forever Fall, Ruby and Kamui had made it a sort of quota or normal thing. One would think a giant dragon roaring would set off alarms and it did for a little while. After months of hearing the dragon roar though, Jaune was used to it along with the teachers with Ozpin's orders of course. Plus the dragon had sort of grown on the staff. Professor Goodwitch often gave her more…deliquient students to the dragon to straighten them out, Kamui once said that Nyx was almost like a younger version of Goodwitch. Professor Oobleck wanted to study her, much to the dragon's displeasure and Professor Port wanted to have some kind of battle against it, though Kamui wouldn't allow that. Still though it was a bit late for them to go out. It was Friday so they didn't have curfew but still.

"I guess Ruby and Kamui are heading out. I wonder what they could be doing at this hour though," Pyrrha commented.

"I wonder who will come on top. RWBY or JNPR, I hope its us," Jaune said hopefully even though the idea was laughable to someone else. Pyrrha stood up suddenly and forced him to stand up as well.

"Well then, fearless leader you have to keep training in order to achieve that if you want to beat RWBY. It'll be a team effort after all and you need to be in top shape to lead us to victory!" she challenged as she drew her blade again. Jaune sighed but he drew his sword and held it in both his hands.

"No pain, no gain…" he mumbled.

 **Ruby's POV**

Ruby sighed as the wind flew past her as she flew through the night sky. She was never really afraid of flying considering she always sent herself flying with her Crescent Rose. Though she has never flown this high on a dragon no less, a dragon belonging to her crush. She didn't bother avoiding leaning back against Kamui for support. It was comforting and thankfully he didn't shy away from her affectionate actions anymore. Still though this wasn't the reason she wanted to be flying.

"So…why did you want to fly now? I can't imagine anything short of an emergency would make you want to crawl out at this hour, usually you want us to spar or work in the forge at this time since Jaune is busy with Pyrrha," Kamui commented as he directed Nyx to fly over Vale.

"I like flying…but there is something I need your help with…" Ruby asked.

"Such as? I am always willing to help you out as long as it isn't embarrassing," Kamui commented and Ruby giggled.

"I need help with Blake…she hasn't been around for at least a week now and we're all getting worried about her," Ruby said with a sigh. She looked down at nighttime Vale. Her friend and teammate was down there somewhere, she probably thought they all hated her. It didn't help that Weiss had certainly made it seem like that.

"I see…any reason why she would run off?" Kamui asked. Ruby contemplated telling him about Blake's secret. After all she wouldn't be working so hard to hide that she was a Faunus if she was just going to tell everyone. The only reason they found out was because Weiss kept saying what monsters the White Fang were. That certainly didn't make them look appealing to the girl. Still though…it was Kamui, Blake seemed to like him, at least she thought so. He wasn't a racist towards Faunus, in fact it seemed like he disliked the things both sides did.

"Well…Blake…we were all going to see the people visiting for the Vytal Tournament to spy on them. Except there was a Faunus boy who was running away from the police. We chased after him at Weiss' insistence and well we lost him unfortunately…Weiss started saying a bunch of mean things about Faunus and the White Fang. Blake got angry about that and they started arguing. Remember, we came home with those two arguing?" Ruby asked to make sure Kamui was paying attention.

"Go on," he said and Nyx made a snort like she was paying attention too, which wouldn't have been wrong. Ruby thought it was so cool how Nyx was actually smart, she couldn't speak but she could listen. Only Kamui could tell what she was saying but Ruby still couldn't figure out how.

"Well, Blake ended up exploding at Weiss and she kind of revealed that she was a…Faunus and a former member of the White Fang…" Ruby said meekly, waiting for her friend's reaction.

"Huh…that's interesting…so I assume she ran off after that?" Kamui asked as he brought Nyx down to land on a particularly tall building. It may have looked odd and scary to some people but they were next to a school with crazy teens who had super powers.

"You're not…mad?" Ruby asked as they both got off of Nyx.

"I don't care if Blake is Faunus or not. I grew up with Faunus and Human alike, I have a teacher and a friend who are Faunus. Though the White Fang…those people I have little love for," Kamui said as he started rubbing some of Nyx's scales, making the dragon sort of purr or whatever the dragon equivalent was.

"Blake isn't part of the White Fang anymore though…" Ruby said nervously as she hoped he wouldn't go crazy on Blake when they found her. Hopefully this wasn't a mistake.

"Then I have no issue with her…she hasn't given the impression of someone untrustworthy…as a person with my own secrets, I can understand that," Kamui said softly and Ruby frowned a little at the mention of his secrets. That really was the main thing keeping her from confessing, he was still such a mystery to her. Love later though, help friend now.

"So you'll help me look for her then?" Ruby asked, happily.

"Of course I will," Kamui said as he turned to her. Ruby wanted to hug him but before she did a famililar orange haired girl popped up beside her.

"I'll help too!" Ruby jumped into Kamui's arms like a scared cat as she stared at the new arrival.

"What…who's this?" Kamui asked and judging from his tone he was surprised by her appearance as well. Nyx gave a warning growl at the girl but Ruby quickly asserted control.

"Wait, Nyx. She's a friend…Penny…where did you come from?" Ruby asked as the strange girl. She met Penny earlier, right before Blake split from them. She was an odd girl to put it lightly, even considering all the people at Beacon. The girl had a creepy way of showing up whenever Ruby came to Vale to look for Blake. Not that she didn't appreciate her but Ruby still wasn't used to how she could do that, she even got past Kamui and Nyx!

"I told you I would help you in your search! I still have not located your friend, Blake however…" Penny finished in a dejected tone. Ruby frowned and got down from Kamui's hold, thankfully not embarrassed and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey it's ok, thanks for helping me look for my friend. Oh here, this is my friend Kamui and his dragon Nyx!" Ruby pulled her over to her silver clad crush and his mount.

"Salutations!" Penny greeted in her usual upbeat voice. Kamui and Nyx shared a look before the dragon gave a sort of greeting sound.

"Hello as well…" Kamui said awkwardly, making Ruby giggle.

"Any friends of Ruby are friends to me!" Penny said as she grabbed Kamui's hand and started shaking the surprised boy. He looked at Ruby and she just shrugged, Kamui sighed but he smiled at the girl and nodded.

"Very well, I feel the same way…I think," that sounded more like a question than a statement. Nyx let out a small growl and Kamui turned to the dragon and sighed.

"Fine…fine go on…" Kamui said as he waved the dragon off. The glyph that Nyx always came out of appeared below it and then she disappeared.

"What happened? Did she not like me?" Penny asked.

"No, no nothing you did was wrong. Nyx was just annoyed that we weren't doing anything and she wanted to go home. Besides, she wanted to go hunt since we interrupted it when I summoned her," Kamui sighed.

"But the plan was we would use Nyx to fly over the city so we could find Blake!" Ruby cried, she had the whole special mission planned and everything! Kamui started laughing while Penny just seemed confused.

"Relax…we'll be fine. We just have to look harder," Kamui said. Ruby grumbled since she planned a cool night operation for nothing, hopefully her sister and Weiss were having better luck finding Blake. Ruby grumbled about it the whole way down from the building they were and kept sulking about it even after they started searching from the streets.

"Kamui, can't you just summon Nyx again?" Ruby asked after half an hour of searching.

"Well I could…but she gets cranky at this hour. I don't feel like dealing with her mood here. Remember, she's the same age as us so imagine a moody Weiss who could breath fire whenever she gets annoyed," Kamui joked but he sounded serious. Despite how scary that may be though Ruby couldn't help but laugh at the idea of a fire breathing Weiss.

"Come on friends, we just have to keep looking!" Penny said eagerly before she stumbled into someone who wasn't paying attention. Penny fell onto the ground while the figure turned around in shock.

"Oh dear, I am sorry young miss. I didn't see you there," he was a young man, looking to be in his twenties, aura immortality, chose to be nice to him apparently since he spoke in such a refined way. Ruby eyed him and couldn't help but think he looked a bit…cool? He was dressed in all black with a red scarf that seemed to compliment his emerald hair nicely. He looked just like a ninja!

There were two others next to the man, both girls. One was a blonde girl with short cropped hair and…two fluffy ears and a fluffy tail (Ruby had to resist hugging her). She was dressed up in armor along with a red coat with fluffy white fur at the collar. Her outfit cut off at her thighs, something Yang would have approved of. Ruby had never seen a Faunus quite like her before, usually they were just smaller traits.

The other girl was a Faunus as well but she stood with a bit of a shyer stance than her more confident companion. She had long black hair that almost hid her large wolf like ears. She wore a white blouse and jeans, nothing showy. She had a red cloak on and wore the hood over her head. Her red hood had a white inside as opposed to Ruby's. Ruby also managed to catch a wolf like tail that was sticking out of her cloak.

"It's alright, sir," Penny said energetically as she stood up easily when the green haired ninja tried to help her up.

"Kaze? Selkie? Velouria?" Kamui asked, shocked. Ruby stared at her friend to see that he indeed looked more surprised than she'd ever seen before. The three people in front of them seemed surprised as well. The man dropped to one knee while the two girls tackled Kamui in a hug, making him almost fall over.

"Kamui!" they said excitedly. Ruby felt the sudden urge to draw her scythe out but she suppressed it. After a few moments Kamui managed to untangle himself from the two girls' and stepped back a bit.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Kamui exclaimed with a blush on his face. Ruby was very interested to know who these people were also, especially the girls…

"We came to give you a package from Lady Felica, Milord," the green haired man, Ruby assumed he was Kaze.

"What?! I know I asked for special delivery, but not like this!" Kamui exclaimed, looking quite distressed. Ruby had never seen him so alarmed, it was foreign considering while he did get surprised, he never quite got this alarmed.

"We-" a large explosion rang through their ears. Ruby immediately grew worried since it was quite a loud explosion and she knew Blake was probably involved. There group had a way of always getting mixed up in the middle of action after all.

"Kamui, Penny! Come on! Blake has to be there!" she grabbed hold of her friends by their hands and took off, running in the direction of the explosion. It was in the direction of the docks if she was any judge. Hopefully Yang and Weiss were on there way there as well.

"Wait!"

"Where do you think you're taking him!?" Ruby didn't listen to the people from Kamui's past and quickly activated her semblance. In part it was to get Kamui away from the girls who were familiar with him but mostly to get to Blake as fast as possible. It might have tired her out carrying two passengers instead of just one but due to constant training against her friends, especially Kamui and Pyrrha she had the strength to maintain it. It wasn't long before they arrived at the docks thankfully, Ruby stopped when they got close to the explosion or where she thought it was.

"Ruby!" Kamui shouted and Ruby just giggled nervously. He looked a bit mad at her and she shied away from his gaze. He rarely got mad at her, basically not at all.

"Sorry…" Ruby appeased as she sent a message to Yang and Weiss to hurry over to the area.

"That was fun!" Penny said, excited. Kamui seemed like he was going to say something and Ruby braced for it but before he could say anything there was another explosion that cut him off. This one was even louder than before, though they were right next to it practically. Still it did seem to be worse than the one that tipped them off.

"Fine…we'll worry about this first…" Kamui sighed. Ruby beamed and grabbed his hand and Penny's and activated her semblance again so they could speed up to the roof. Don't ask her how she knew she could run up walls without Weiss helping her (she jumped).

"Well lets go!" Ruby said as she ran up to the edge, leaving her bewildered crush behind. Penny was unaffected apparently since she was with her the whole time. Ruby's eyes widened when she saw not just Blake like she hoped but she was currently fighting against Roman, the guy who robbed the dust store she was in when she met Kamui. She also noticed that the Blonde Faunus they were chasing some time ago was fighting the criminal with Blake.

"What's he doing here," Ruby asked herself. Blake and her friend managed to gain the upper hand against Roman but the criminal mastermind knocked down a crate being suspended above them. Blake and her friend got away but unfortunately Roman had his cane/gun pointed right at the monkey Faunus.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted as she drew her Crescent Rose. She aimed down the sight and fired at the cane wielder who simply dodged it. More of his goons came out to aid him at this point, White Fang to be exact if Ruby was any judge.

"Oh, hey there Red! It's lovely to see you again…not!" Roman shouted.

"Ruby are these people your friends?" Penny asked as she got a little too close.

"Penny, stay back it's dangerous-ah!" while Ruby was warning her friend Roman had taken a cheap shot and fired an explosive round at her. Ruby was sent hurdling back but thankfully she crashed into something that cushioned the ground. When Ruby looked to see what it was though she blushed when she realized that Kamui had caught her.

"You ok?" he grunted as he helped her up. Before Ruby could reply she realized that Penny was approaching the edge of the building.

"Penny! Wait!" Ruby shouted, worriedly as the orange haired girl jumped off the building. She grabbed Kamui before he could protest and pulled him after Penny. Except when they touched the ground they didn't have to help apparently. Penny was levitating at least ten swords around her? Whatever she was doing she was winning, the White Fang couldn't get within ten feet of her before they were brought down by her swords. How was she levitating them though? Was her semblance telekinesis or something?

"I don't think she needs help…but let's go help shall we?" Kamui asked as he drew his sword. Ruby drew her scythe as well, eager to help her friends. She shared a smile with Kamui before they charged in but before they even got there, Penny had already…cleared them out.

"That was…fast…" Ruby said more surprised than disappointed and Kamui said something similar. She saw Blake and her friend? Going after Roman and she armed her scythe to go after him as well but before she could the whirring of a minigun rang through her ears.

"Incoming!" Kamui shouted. A group of Bullheads begun flying in, whirring their guns to fire. Ruby got out of the way and pulled Kamui behind something with her, not that she needed to. Except those actions were unneeded as well. Penny brought her swords up and whirred them around like a vortex and fired a giant green laser at the Bullheads. The laser cut them to pieces like they were made of paper instead of metal.

"Was that a laser?" Ruby asked.

"Indeed, I think it was…" Kamui replied. Then he pointed Ruby towards Roman who managed to get onto one of the Bullheads that wasn't destroyed. She wondered how he was able to get away from Blake but she saw her friend trying to help her comrade out from under a crate that fell on him.

"See you kids later! I hope we meet again, not!" Roman taunted as he closed the door to his ship as it sped away. Ruby took aim with her sniper and fired at the ship but her bullet just dented the ship.

"Well…we found Blake at least…" Kamui said, dejected. Ruby nodded somberly at his words before she perked up and rushed over to hug her friend before she ran off again.

"Ruby!" Blake shouted. She tried to worm away out of her hold but Ruby just held her tighter.

"Nope! You're not running off again, we all missed you!" Ruby shouted and Blake flinched but she relented after a few minutes and endured her. Then Ruby smiled at her mischievously and held up her hands.

"Now…can I pet your ears?" Ruby asked slyly and Blake seemed to shake from fear at that.

 **Moments Later**

"Sorry…" Ruby said meekly as Blake massaged her cat ears through her bow of course. Ruby didn't realize how sensitive they were, she thought it felt good. Blake was either very polite or endured it as punishment for worrying her, probably both.

"It's fine…never again though…" Blake sighed as she sat next to her companion who Ruby learned was named Sun. Ruby fidgeted on the crate she was sitting on, thankful that Kamui and Penny were there to make her feel not so unshielded.

"Man are all of you Beacon kids so crazy?" Sun asked.

"I actually think we're the sane ones…" Kamui deadpanned but Ruby saw him smiling. Blake seemed to smile at the gesture as her hands settled down on her lap again.

"I'm sorry Ruby…I didn't know you would feel the way you did…I thought you were going to hate me for having been in the White Fang," Blake said softly.

"Of course I wouldn't hate you, Blake. You're part of my team, I don't care if you're Faunus, I think the ears are cute actually!" Ruby replied happily. Blake seemed to shudder but everyone laughed. When they all calmed down though they stayed in silence since there wasn't much more to say.

"Heads up, Yang and Weiss are coming," Kamui cut in, making Blake pale. Indeed the heiress and Ruby's sister were approaching but it was Weiss that brought worry on. She made it quite clear how she felt about the White Fang and the Faunus.

"Hey Weiss, nice night huh? Please don't be mean to Blake, she's not part of the White Fang in fact she was trying to stop them tonight, she actually has cute cat ears under her bow and um…" Ruby tried to get her partner to stop but Weiss just walked past her, towards Blake. Ruby saw Kamui tense and he placed his hand on his sword, he would make sure nothing bad happened and Ruby wouldn't either.

"Weiss…I am no longer part of the White Fang. I cut ties with them before things got too bloody," Blake said. Ruby couldn't see Weiss' expression but when she saw Kamui's hand leave his sword she sighed in relief.

"Don't say anymore Blake…do you have any idea how long we were all looking for you? A week, we spent a week looking tirelessly for you…and well…I don't care about what you were," Weiss said, making Blake's eyes widen. Ruby sighed again and she didn't even move when Yang wrapped an arm around her.

"You don't care? But I thought…" Blake trailed off and Weiss sighed before she hugged her, making the girl freeze.

"You said you weren't part of the White Fang anymore, that's good enough for me. Next time something this big happens, make sure you call on all of us next time," Weiss said as she pulled away. Blake wiped a tear from her eye and she nodded.

"Yay! Team RWBY is back together again!" Ruby shouted joyfully.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed as she clanked her gauntlets together, making Ruby wince since she was right next to her. Ruby and her sister approached their two teammates and Sun and Kamui got close as well, making a sort of circle.

"Thank you for keeping my dunce of a partner safe, Kamui," Weiss said gratefully and Ruby blushed. Kamui nudged her, making Ruby whine slightly.

"It was my pleasure. She's my partner too, Weiss. That would make us partners too technically anyway," Kamui said casually. Weiss seemed happy with that technicality.

"Good! Now I have a partner that actually pays attention in class. Maybe I should request to have Ruby thrown out," Weiss said, making Ruby's mind crash.

"Hey!" Ruby whined, making them all laugh at the joke. Then Weiss pointed a finger at Sun, making the boy flinch.

"You…I don't know how I feel about you just yet…so stay on your toes…" Weiss said icily, returning to the Ice Queen the all know and love.

"Oh come on! I was keeping Blake safe!" Sun appeased. Ruby noticed that Penny wasn't in their circle though and she started looking around for her.

"Hey where's Penny?" she asked. Everyone else started looking around but she was just gone, she was just there a few moments ago! They all separated too look around but she was just gone. Before Ruby could grow frantic though, she heard something else to take her attention.

"Hey…you alright man?" Sun asked followed by a yelp. Ruby saw that Kamui was grabbing his head with one hand and he was holding onto Sun's shoulder with the other. Kamui looked like he was in extreme pain though with the way he was shaking. He looked like he was about to fall over but Sun was holding him up.

"Kamui!" Ruby shouted as she ran over.

"No!" Kamui shouted, making Ruby skid to a stop. Kamui pushed Sun away and stumbled away, clutching his head like it was about to explode. Ruby saw that the rest of her team were edging closer to the boy and Ruby started approaching him again.

"Kamui what's wrong?!" Ruby shouted as she started running to him but he glared at her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Ruby…stay back…all of you! Stay back! I…don't know what's…" Kamui fell to his knees and his black aura started becoming visible around him like his semblance was activating.

"Please, let us help you Kamui…" Weiss advised as she took a few careful steps forward.

"No! Stay back! My…powers are acting strange! Please, I don't want to hurt you!" Kamui ordered. Kamui's aura began growing and then he let out a sharp cry as his semblance activated. Ruby gasped as they were all sucked into the pocket his semblance created. She couldn't see Kamui because his black aura had engulfed him completely but she could hear his cries of pain. Those were sounds that should never come from him, he never showed pain!

"Kamui!" Ruby shouted as she tried to get closer to aid her crush. However she felt herself grow heavier and it became hard to even lift her feet. She looked to her friends and saw that they were all in the same predicament. Ruby tried helplessly to overpower the force Kamui's semblance had over her but it was no use. Then as suddenly as it happened, it all stopped and Ruby almost fell onto her face.

"What…a…rush…" Ruby looked up to see that Kamui was on his knees with his hands holding him up and he was sweating and panting. Ruby rushed over to him but before she could a familiar blonde fox girl appeared in front of her and grabbed her by her cloak.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" Ruby screamed.

"Hey let my sister go!" Yang roared.

"Silence!" the girl hissed. Ruby felt a blade touch her throat but when she looked down she saw that it was a claw.

"If any of you move, she'll have my claws buried in her throat!" the fox Faunus hissed in warning. Ruby saw her sister's eyes grow red and her hair started flaming but she managed to stay still. Blake had her weapon in gun form aimed at her and Weiss and Sun had their weapons drawn.

"Who are you?" Weiss asked, attentively. Ruby managed to turn her eyes towards Kamui and she saw the wolf Faunus and the green haired ninja attending to him. She saw the man, Kaze she thought place a box in front of him and then he placed his hand on her crush's shoulder and he whispered something to him. She couldn't hear any of it but Kamui nodded as he picked the box up and stood shakily.

"I am fine now…Selkie. Release my friend and all of you, don't attack…" Kamui commanded.

"What?! She's threatening my sister!" Yang growled as she cocked her gauntlets.

"She works for my family! She's just protecting me. Do not attack!" Kamui ordered. Yang grumbled but surprisingly she relented and her semblance faded. Ruby was released from her hold and she immediately rushed to Kamui and embraced him, making him groan.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked as she looked him over. Besides looking quite tired and exhausted like he just trained for ten hours straight, he wasn't damaged on the outside at least.

"I've been better…" Kamui sighed as he wrapped his free arm around her. Ruby didn't release him though when the hug stopped, she stayed clutched to him so that he wouldn't fall or worse run off like Blake. The others all approached as well, though the tension was very thick between the students and the three people that served the Legacy's.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me Kaze?" Kamui asked, tiredly.

"No Lord Kamui, that is all Lady Felica and Lady Camilla wished me to inform you," Kaze locked his fist into his palm and bowed. Everyone was staring at Kamui in a new light and Ruby knew he was uncomfortable.

"Very well, you three best get going. Next time send an advance to warn me you guys are coming," Kamui ordered. The three all bowed and while the two girls seemed hesitant they still left with Kaze, in a blur. Everyone looked at Kamui expectantly and Ruby knew he was going to groan before he even did it.

"Fine…I'll explain a little…later though, I'm tired," Kamui sighed.

"So you'll explain why your…servant was threatening my sister then? In the infirmary?" Yang asked, expectantly.

"Infirmary? I don't need to go to the infirmary," Kamui said, annoyed but Ruby actually agreed.

"Come on Kamui, we don't know what happened to you. We want the doctors to check," Ruby said and Kamui sighed in annoyance.

"Fine…but no tests…"


	7. Half-Truths

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Very short chapter this time to tie down Volume One's arc. I hope I'm doing things alright. Now this was the introduction stuff, now I can get to the parts that I can really play with! See you next time and enjoy!

Chapter 6: Half-Truths

 **Kamui's POV**

"Ok, explain," Yang practically demanded. Kamui was lying on a bed in the infirmary, feeling quite annoyed. He was forced to go to the infirmary by his friends and while thankfully he avoided x-rays and blood tests, he was still bound there for the night. He was deemed to just be short of aura and that wasn't far from the truth, his semblance sucked a lot of it out this time. Well not just his semblance but he would keep that to himself. Though even with all that and the forced interrogation he was about to endure, he had other concerns.

 _"We were sent to deliver you a stone as well as the requested pictures…your…maturity is going to approach a new level. You know what stone it is and what it'll be needed for…"_ Kaze had said those words to him and Kamui shuddered at the thought. He did indeed know what was happening to him.

"Yang, give him some space, he did tell her to let me go," Ruby defended. Kamui smiled at his crush, happy that she was still on his side despite the situation she was just in. Still it saddened him to think about her because of what was coming in between them. He knew it was going to happen but he liked to entertain the idea that it would be fine for his sanity's sake.

"Why are they here too?" Kamui asked, referring to Team JNPR. Pyrrha he was fine with since she knew what he was keeping from the rest but the others?

"Because we're your friends," Jaune said, making Kamui sigh in resignation. Still he appreciated the gesture, Jaune had come a long way from the bumbling idiot he was, even if he still was bumbling. He stood as a true leader and a warrior, at heart anyway. Though Pyrrha told him he was improving, hopefully that meant he could start helping him out in training soon.

"Yeah, we'll be there for you, space walker!" Nora exclaimed, making Kamui groan. Ever since his semblance became known, she had started calling him that. Ren just gave him a small nod with a smile.

"Fine…what do you want to know?" Kamui asked as he picked the package given to him off of the night table. It was a small box but it was sealed and folded nicely.

"Why did your servants threaten my sister?" Yang asked with barely restrained anger. Kamui was not exactly in the best shape so a confrontation with Yang was ill advised right now. She was closer than her sister to landing a hit on him or Pyrrha in spars. In fact he predicted that during second semester or the midterms that he and Pyrrha would suffer their first blows from any of their friends.

"Selkie was trying to protect Ruby and the rest of you in case I had another outburst. She knew she couldn't just talk you into it so she forced you to with a way that would definitely stop you in your tracks. Ruby was never in danger to begin with, Selkie isn't cruel," Kamui answered truthfully. Selkie was a childhood friend, the child of one of his siblings' retainers. She was a very playful girl, never violent or vicious really. Though she did have her moments of course.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked.

"Yes, Selkie is my friend, I know how she acts!" Kamui snapped. Yang sighed and scratched her head before Weiss elbowed her ribs.

"So you have Faunus servants?" Blake asked. Kamui looked at the Cat Faunus and he nodded after seeing no ill intent in her eyes or none that he could detect. She wanted to see the ideology of the Legacy's.

"Yes, my family has a few Faunus working for us. They receive the same treatment as the humans though; the ones you met were my childhood friends. You could say they're my new Retainers since my old ones kind of…married my brothers. The humans and the Faunus get along very well under us, my two friends you saw have human mothers even," Kamui said firmly. Blake seemed to accept that and in fact she seemed a little happy almost.

"I see, I thank you and your family for not being afraid to show Faunus equality," Blake commended and Kamui sighed in relief that she wasn't trying to turn anything he said on him.

"So…getting back on track, what was that outburst you had?" Blake asked. Kamui didn't respond at that, how could he? His eyes went to Pyrrha and she was telling him exactly what he was thinking. Lie or at least don't tell the whole truth just yet.

"I…my powers…they're…growing," Kamui said evasively. He felt Ruby grab his arm and sighed as he started opening the package by cutting the tap with a small knife.

"What do you mean growing?" Ruby asked. Kamui would tell them what they wanted to know, he just wouldn't say everything, not yet.

"All Legacies experience this…growth. My brothers and my sister went through it, though none of them were in an academy at my age. It's part of our maturity, think of it like a growth spurt but it's our powers making a jump instead of our height. I'll be having more outbursts like that in the coming weeks and I'll have to learn to control it," Kamui explained as he opened the package and pulled two smaller boxes out. One was black and heavy, probably his pictures and the other was silver and it was like a jewelry box almost.

"So…are they always that...painful?" Ruby asked cautiously. Kamui sighed and opened the silver box and everyone was looking to see what was in it. He chuckled and pulled the contents out. It was a simple silver chain with a sphere shaped red stone attached to it.

"Yes…our bodies have to adapt to handling the new power. Thankfully we have these to make them more…manageable. It also doubles as a warning sign for when one is about to happen so don't be surprised if you see me take some time to be alone," Kamui said as he put the necklace on. The gem glowed gently for a few moments before it faded and he felt a soothing feeling flow through him.

"Is that…dust?" Weiss asked as she got closer. Blake's eyes widened like she recognized it and that made Kamui nervous as hell.

"Not quite, it's a special stone that helps us keep our growths under control so we don't have outbursts like that and no I'm not explaining what it's made of, I wouldn't even know how to. They also help us keep our…minds during those episodes. They aren't exactly needed but they help until we learn to control it ourselves," Kamui summarized. They all let the information sink in and Nora was the one that recovered first

"It looks cool! How do you make it glow?" she asked. Kamui chuckled and everyone else seemed to take the opportunity to let the mood drop.

"I can't really say Nora, it just does that sometimes. I'm new to this stage, my siblings aren't the best at keeping me informed on important events," Kamui said and the energetic girl seemed to accept that thankfully.

"So…Lord Kamui huh?" Yang teased and Kamui groaned.

"Please don't…" Kamui groaned. He hated being called a Lord; the people who served him were his friends, not just his servants. Last thing he needed was for his new friends to be calling him that.

"Are those the pictures?" Ruby asked, excited as she pointed towards the black box. Kamui smiled and nodded towards his friend and crush, she was as eager as he was to see the pictures after he promised to show her the ones he thought had her mother in them.

"Yes, can you get me my picture book and one of the pictures of after Initiation?" Kamui asked. Ruby was gone in an instant and back with the picture book, much to everyone's amusement.

"I got to see these, how many embarrassing things on the Legacies are there?" Yang asked as she got on his other side. The others all got close as well as Kamui opened the book to the first empty page. The book was set up for him to put the pictures in, he wanted to pictures sent separately since they were special to him. He opened the black box and pulled the rather large pile of pictures out of it.

"First…" Kamui picked up a group picture and showed it to Ruby. It was a picture of a class of Beacon students, right after whatever initiation they went through.

"See here?" Kamui asked as he pointed towards a blonde boy, standing next to another boy with long black hair, dressed like a samurai. On his other side was another boy with short raven hair, holding a greatsword. There was also another girl dressed in a red coat and black armor with raven hair and red eyes matching the guy with the greatsword.

"Is that…dad and Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked excitedly. Yang moved to Ruby's side so she could look too and she laughed.

"Dad doesn't look too different but Uncle Qrow has all black hair here," Yang laughed then she pointed to the guy with the samurai attire.

"Is that your brother?" she asked and Kamui nodded somberly as he looked at the smiling boy.

"Ku-Ryoma wasn't always the way he was before, he was nice…once, doesn't look like the Rider of Death much does he?" Kamui sighed before he pointed to a girl wearing a white hood in the picture, looking at it now, Ruby did look a lot like her mother, down to the fashion sense apparently. Ruby took the picture and held it in her hands as she stared at her mother. Kamui saw tears build up in her eyes and Yang wrapped her arms around her in comfort.

"You favor her a lot, Rubes…" Yang said soothingly. Ruby wiped her eyes and handed the picture back to Kamui and he placed it in the top area of the page. The next two pictures were of his other two siblings after their respective initiations but he didn't really show those to them. He put them in their places on the page before he asked Ruby for their picture.

"Here…" Ruby said as he handed him the picture taken right after their initiation. All nine of them were in the picture, Ruby, Jaune and Kamui were in the center while everyone else was around them. Kamui blushed though when he realized that Ruby was clinging to his arm in the picture but they both didn't seem to mind in the picture. Jaune looked like he was ready to faint but Pyrrha had her hand on his shoulder supporting him. Nora was riding on Ren's back and the poor boy still managed to smile at the camera. Blake just gave a simple smile while Yang had two peace signs raised towards the camera. Even Weiss was smiling in the camera as she stood proudly.

"Feels like this was only yesterday huh?" Pyrrha asked and everyone agreed. Kamui smiled as he placed his picture in the slot of the page reserved for him.

"There, now it's framed in my family's history…" Kamui said.

They spent the next few minutes laughing over the pictures of Kamui's family. Most of them were before his time and they all involved Ryoma and Takumi in some way or another. Most of them were serious but a few of Takumi's pictures were funny. Like one picture was of Qrow chasing around Takumi with his sword, apparently Takumi had dropped a bucket of pink paint on him. Of course the others eventually decided to retire for the night since midterm season was coming and they had to rest but Ruby stuck around after waving Yang off. Kamui was wondering what she was going to do but he should have expected it really.

"Do you have a picture with my mom in it that I can have?" Ruby asked softly. Kamui quickly searched through his stack for something that would suit her needs but nothing he thought was good enough. Then he caught sight of a white package among the pictures. He picked it up and unfolded the covering carefully and his eyes widened when he saw it. It was a picture of Summer and Qrow and Taiyang were on either side of her and they were all smiling but who was in the middle was what caught his attention. It was a little baby wrapped in a red blanket, Ruby Rose held by Summer. Then at Summer's feet was a cute two year old Yang giving a cute toothy smile. He turned the picture around and there was writing on it. He read it aloud for Ruby.

"Mikoto, I heard you had another son, congratulations, that's four now right?! I just had a child myself, a daughter, her name is Ruby Rose. I hope our children become great friends; we have to introduce them to each other soon! Signed Summer Rose Xiao Long," Kamui read softly. He held the picture out to a shocked Ruby with a smile, feeling his eyes grow bleary. Mikoto was the name of his mother, he barely remembered her. Still though, their respective parents or mothers wanted them to meet but what had happened then? He knew what happened all too well, his mother went missing. He decided to play along for both their mothers' sakes' though. He wondered if they both would have approved of the fact that he was falling in love with Ruby and that she might be falling for him.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Kamui Legacy…" Ruby accepted the picture and after looking at it for a few minutes she giggled tearfully and hugged him.

"It's nice to meet you Kamui…I'm Ruby Rose…"


	8. Night Life

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Wow, I've never written this fast before, it feels good though. Four hours of boredom at a University Library tends to do that to me though. Amusingly enough I seem to type faster during school than when I have free time. Anyway so enjoy the chapter and tell me what you guys think!

Chapter 7: Night Life

 **Kamui's POV**

"Hey everyone look at this!" Ruby shouted as she slammed a giant book onto the table the rest of Teams RWBY, JNPR and Kamui were eating at. Kamui lifted his drink off of the table to prevent it from splashing all over him, something poor Jaune fell victim too. Though it couldn't have been all bad since he seemed quite happy with the way Pyrrha fawned over cleaning him. Everyone shared a laugh at that since the oblivious knight still didn't realize his partner was crushing on him, hard.

"What's this?" Weiss asked. Kamui looked at the comically oversized book to see that the title was named The Best Day Ever By Ruby Rose in big letters.

"Friends, Sister and Weiss," Ruby announced followed by a complaint from said Heiress.

"To celebrate the New Semester and all of us making it through midterms and practical's, I took the liberty of planning out the perfect day for us!" Ruby announced happily. Kamui just smiled and continued finishing his breakfast; he was game for whatever plan she had.

"That sounds good but my back is still killing me from the combat test…" Jaune groaned as he fell down onto the table in a heap, he had a bunch of bruises still and he had a rather large icepack on his head, curtsey of Weiss. Pyrrha rubbed his back soothingly and he sighed happily.

The poor guy managed to edge out surprisingly well all things considered. His grades in the written tests were the highest in the group, matched only by Weiss the know it all and Kamui just because he spent his whole life learning everything. Jaune even managed to win in his combat midterm; thankfully he was paired up against someone outside of their group, specifically Cardin. He was quite pleased with himself for beating the bully but no one was more proud than Pyrrha. He certainly had grown fast in a short time. Despite his victory he had suffered quite a few blows from the bully as evident from his condition. Kamui was thinking it was almost time for him to start stepping into his training. As soon as everyone was healed up of course.

Their whole group was nursing some form of injury really and while no one was in disabling pain thanks to aura's accelerated healing they still stung. The combat midterms were quite brutal especially among their group, the unspoken top percent of their year. Nora was sporting a few bandages on her cheeks from cuts and some bruises on her arms curtsey of Ren. Likewise the poor boy had at least four icepacks against his right side from the area his partner hammered, she was quite teary from that injury and tried to wait on him hand and foot much to his displeasure. He might have won the match but he lost the war as he said.

Weiss had welts on her hands from gripping her Myrtenaster too hard during her fight against Blake. There were a few bruises and cuts adorning her arms, curtsey of where Blake hit her, which she rubbed down with a salve because apparently her skin was too "delicate" for the stuff in the medical wing. She also had an icepack tied to her back from when she was thrown against the wall when her friend threw her with her ribbon. Blake was a bit twitchy and not in her usual way whens she was reading her books. A blast from Weiss' lighting dust hit dead on the poor girl. Naturally it made her a bit…jumpy to put it lightly, the worse of it was out of her system but she still fidgety and still gave off little bolts every now and then. It was quite funny at first since it made her hair stand up for the first day. Blake technically won the match but it really felt more like a tie.

Yang, the ever-powerful berserker bruiser had quite a few welts and bruises along with cuts, the most out of everyone actually. Her sleeves were pulled up so her wounds wouldn't be irritated. Her knuckles were red from punching too hard; surprising everyone she could do that. Her hair was slightly trimmed yet she was "ok". People would wonder if her opponent was alive and how they did so much damage but her opponent was Pyrrha. The redheaded Spartan was relatively untouched besides looking exhausted; she had an icepack tied to her left side and one on her left arm. Yes Pyrrha the invincible girl had suffered her first injuries against Yang, her arm was iced because it suffered from bearing her shield against Yang's blows, her side was iced down because she got hooked in the side, only once but Yang hits very hard. A hard won victory of sweat and tears, emphasis on the sweat concerning how much Yang's semblance heated the arena up.

Ruby had a small cut on her cheek that was bandaged along with many bruises adorning her arms, second only to Yang's count. Plus she seemed to be standing with a slight limp; she was favoring her right leg. Despite the obvious pain that she was probably in she was quite chipper like Nora and her sister. That left Kamui, Ruby's opponent whom had been a bit banged up as well. Like Pyrrha he wasn't as hurt as most of the others but he had suffered a bit of damage nonetheless. His right shoulder had an icepack tied to it and it hurt to move his arm, coupled with that he was extremely exhausted but elated. Ruby and Kamui's match was an epic show of sparks and speed; Ruby had managed to get a clean shot at him with her Crescent Rose. His aura and armor lessened the blow but it still hurt like hell, thankfully he was able to use his sword with his left hand otherwise he probably would have suffered more hits. Despite the fact that his untouchable reputation was over, he was very proud of Ruby's growth.

"Relax! We're just going to be doing a bunch of games and cookies!" Ruby shouted joyfully but she winced when she overextended her arm.

"Please tell me you didn't only put the Remnant Board Game and cookies down on that thing?" Yang asked and Ruby just giggled slightly.

"Silly, of course not, sis! We still have to buy the game! The new edition just came out!" Ruby announced as she stood on with one foot on the table and another on the chair.

"I actually have it already…" Jaune said and Ruby rounded on him like a hawk way faster than her injuries should have allowed.

"How?! It just came out! Did you steal it without inviting me?!" Ruby accused and Kamui turned to see that they were gaining quite a bit of attention. He shrugged it off and took interest in watching Nora and Yang throw fruit at each other. At least he wanted to but then Ruby tugged on his arm, making him turn back to her.

"Kamui! You think that my idea of a Perfect Day is good right?" she asked with a pout. Kamui flinched slightly, cursing that she was way too cute, thankfully he had three nieces though that all pouted at him whenever they wanted something. Then again this was the girl he had a crush on…

"Well…I guess it couldn't hurt to take time out of my training…we've all been running ragged for the past few days. The doctors did say we would be healed soon," Kamui added his two cents and Weiss looked at him, betrayed and he just shrugged.

"What?" he asked.

"You were supposed to say you would prefer studying or practicing our comb-" SPLAT! Before Weiss could finish, a pie, a full pie smashed right into her face like something straight out of an old cartoon. Kamui looked to his right to see that Nora had apparently overshot, even though Yang was right in front of her…

"Uh…Weiss you ok?" Ruby asked cautiously and Kamui tensed. The entire cafeteria went silent actually eerily quiet. Weiss slowly pulled the sweet off of her face, her face was covered in custard and she looked very pissed.

"This…means…WAR!" she declared as she picked a apple up and pulled the stem like a grenade and chucked it at Nora, who dodged the apple that was somehow rigged to explode like a grenade. Who the hell thought food like that was needed? Kamui jumped from his seat and jumped up onto the rafters of the cafeteria while all hell broke loose. He took a seat and watched what would be quite the show from above. One might ask why he wouldn't get involved, well there was a simple answer to that, he didn't feel like cleaning his uniform later. Blood was one thing, food was another.

"This act of aggression shall not go unpunished!" Ruby shouted, going along with the game that was created. All the other students in the cafeteria, visiting or local filed out of the room like it was the plague. Then Nora picked a stick up and sunk it into a watermelon and slammed it into the ground like a hammer. It was a little funny since they all seemed to just ignore the fact that they were all injured.

"I can't believe this is happening…" Kamui deadpanned as the two teams jumped to opposite sides of the cafeteria. Nora set up a bunch of the tables in a castle like structure and stood on top of it with her improvised hammer raised, while the rest of her team stood on the ground.

"I'm Queen of the castle! HAHAHA!" Nora laughed menacingly.

"Evildoer you shall not prevail, justice shall be swift and prevail!" Ruby declared as she clenched a milk carton in her hand.

"Yeah!" her team cheered as they all picked up food to use as makeshift weapons. JNPR did the same and Kamui was wondering if he should either stop this or just sit back and laugh. He chose the latter since he was in need of excitement.

JNPR threw watermelons at RWBY but they were all dealt with easily as they charged the "evildoers". Pyrrha engaged in close combat with Blake using a baguette and a serving tray as her weapons, which did surprisingly well, much to Kamui's amusement. Yang picked two turkeys up and used them like her gauntlets and knocked poor Jaune into a wall, he was out. Ren engaged the blonde boxer with two leeks as blades, which somehow managed to stop Yang's blows… Meanwhile Weiss and Ruby were trying to go after Nora who kept throwing soda cans at them which exploded like grenades…

"This is getting ridiculous…" Kamui thought as he watched the epic yet silly battle. He caught a sandwich that flew up to him and started eating it as he watched. Nora slammed her hammer into Weiss, knocking her back into the far wall, cracking it. She fell from the wall but Ruby caught her before she hit the ground.

"Weiss! NO!" Ruby cried in despair. Kamui wasn't sure whether he should laugh or applaud her for her acting or was she even acting?

Yang managed to gain the upper hand against Ren and launched him into the air with a punch but when she followed him up he dodged her and kicked her side, sending her crashing into the floor. Before Yang could go after him again though Nora caught her side with her hammer, hitting her so hard she broke the watermelon. The blonde was sent flying through the roof, past Kamui, who just looked through the hole in wonder.

"I hope she gets down ok…" Kamui commented as he looked back down to see the chaos rage.

Blake picked up a link of sausages and used it like she would use her ribbon. She tried to wrap it around Pyrrha but she cut it down with her improvised sword, which was somehow sharp. Ruby used her semblance to speed in on a serving tray like a skateboard and jumped off in the last minute, nailing Pyrrha in the face and during her disorientation Blake kicked her into a soda machine. Kamui was shocked to see Pyrrha take the hit, granted she was ganged up on so it technically didn't count. Ren and Nora appeared at her sides while Blake and Ruby stood opposite of them.

"Hey Ren! Let's end this!" Nora yelled as she broke a soda machine behind her. Ren did the same and then dozens of soda cans fell onto the floor around them. Kamui's eyes widened as Pyrrha smirked and raised her hands. Ruby and Blake gaped as all the soda cans lifted into the air by Pyrrha's semblance.

"Sorry…it looks like evil prevails this time!" Pyrrha said as she threw all the soda can grenades at the two. Ruby and Blake were unfortunately helpless before the onslaught and sent crashing into the walls, covered in soda. The two girls fell to the ground in a heap next to Weiss followed by Yang falling back down from the sky, through the roof again right next to them. They were all defeated.

"Ha! No one beats the Queen of the Castle!" Nora laughed. Kamui jumped down from his seat and flipped down to the downed team RWBY.

"Are you done?" he asked and Ruby groaned but didn't stand up.

"Kamui...you're our last hope, you have to avenge us…" Ruby pleaded and Kamui sighed.

"Ruby seriously get up, I don't want to-whoa!" Kamui jumped to the side to avoid a watermelon that nailed Ruby in the face, "finishing" her. Kamui sighed as he looked towards NPR.

"A new challenger!" Nora announced. Kamui groaned in annoyance since he was being sucked in apparently. He looked at Pyrrha but she seemed intent to go through with this and that just made him sigh again. Fine…it was getting boring anyway…he could indulge his crush's desires.

"You have done well…but tell me…do you have what it takes to face…me, the embodiment of combat and warfare?!" Kamui asked. He heard RWBY give a cheer, who were apparently not "dead" anymore.

"You don't ride to war against the Rider of War unless you want to lose…" Kamui added for effect, his tone serious but he felt really ridiculous. He kicked a baguette into the air and caught it like he would a sword. Pyrrha held her hands up to Ren and Nora and stepped forward though.

"Let me deal with him, my Queen," Pyrrha said as she leveled her weapons. Kamui smirked in delight; perhaps it would be worth the laundry later. He would have his showdown with Pyrrha finally. They locked eyes and raised their weapons but before they could do anything, the doors to the cafeteria slammed open and an angry Professor Goodwitch stormed in.

"Children…please…don't play with your food…"

 **Ruby's POV**

"I swear there is some sort of conspiracy going around to keep Pyrrha and I from having any kind of showdown before the tournament!" Kamui swore as he sat back onto his bed.

"I am starting to think that's possible…" Pyrrha added as she sat next to the white haired rider. They were currently in Kamui's room since he had the space to hold all nine of them. He only had one bed so there was plenty of room for everyone to sit.

"Don't worry, you looked really cool, Kamui…" Ruby said as she tugged on his sleeve. He blushed but he sighed and leaned back onto his bed.

"I still can't believe you get a whole room to yourself," Yang complained as she emphasized at the room.

"One of the few perks I appreciate that came with me. I don't have to share space," Kamui sighed. Ruby blushed as some impure thoughts ran through her head. If they did get together, would she get to room with him? No bad thoughts!

"I should have complained about this then…" Weiss grumbled.

"So why are we in his room anyway?" Jaune asked as he sat at the desk in the room.

"Because he has the space," Blake deadpanned but she sounded tired. That was strange; she was very energetic a few hours ago. Then again Goodwitch did have a way of sapping energy from students even if she didn't yell at them. At least that's what Ruby would chalk it up to but she's been off for days. She thought it was exams at first but they were past exams now. She shared a knowing look with Yang and Weiss before she jumped up from the bed and pointed at Blake.

"Now then…tell us, what's wrong Blake?" Ruby asked, making the black haired girl flinch. JNPR and Kamui both turned their attention to the girl as well.

"Nothing…I'm fine…" Blake said evasively. Then Weiss placed her hand on her shoulder calmly before she pushed her towards the center of the room.

"You promised that you would talk to us if you had troubles, NOW TELL US WHAT'S WRONG BLAKE BELLADONNA!" Weiss exclaimed as she jumped through the air and pointed accusingly at the Faunus. Everyone was surprised by her rather dramatic action. Then she returned back to her normal regal expression and cleared her throat.

"So what's wrong, Blake?" Weiss asked, worriedly. Blake pointed towards Jaune and the rest of his team.

"What about them?" she asked.

"They already know," Weiss said simply and Blake's eyes widened.

"What?!" she exclaimed angrily.

"They're your sister team and the nine of us are a unit. Can't leave something to chance that will hamper cohesion," Kamui said casually, which was a bit ironic coming from him. Blake's eyes twitched like she was thinking the same thing but she sighed. After all, Kamui already told them about the things he was going through.

"Hey, we're not going to treat you differently because of your heritage," Jaune said kindly.

"Yeah, besides I want to touch your ears at some point! Ruby told me they're soft!" Nora added before Ren held her back, making Blake flinch and cover her head in fear. Everyone laughed at her expense but when that died down she still didn't speak.

"You're among friends here, Blake," Pyrrha supported. Blake sighed but she smiled and that made Ruby's heart jump for joy.

"Ozpin really does know how to pick them…" Blake chuckled but she wiped her eyes like she was about to cry. Ruby went back over and sat next to Kamui and Pyrrha as Blake gathered herself.

"Look, I'm just worried…and I don't understand how everyone can be so relaxed," Blake said. Ruby shared a look with Kamui before she turned back to her friend.

"You're still worried about Torchwick?" Ruby asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang and everything else that's behind the scenes! There's something big going on, I told you all that they were stealing dust, which probably confirms that they were behind the other dust heists all over the kingdoms. There has to be something very big going on here and no one is doing anything about it!" Blake explained frantically.

"Professor Ozpin did assure us they were investigating it," Pyrrha commented.

"Yeah, with the Huntsman helping the police they should have everything handled," Yang said as she placed a hand on her partners shoulder but Blake pushed her off.

"Well I'm not content to just wait around! No one knows the White Fang like I do!" Blake snapped.

"I suppose this means we're going to have to go do some undercover work?" Kamui asked.

"Hold on, allow me to be the voice of reason here and say that we're still students, we're hunters and huntresses in training not full ones," Weiss argued.

"Well I think we can handle it, I mean Blake's beaten Torchwick before and this time we'll all be going in," Ruby said. They were super powered immortal teens, they could handle it.

"Plus we have Invincible Girl and Mr. Embodiment of conflict on our side," Yang added. Kamui and Pyrrha both waved at Weiss who sighed in annoyance.

"What about our injuries?" Weiss asked. In response everyone shrugged and took off their bandages and icepacks.

"What injuries?" Ruby asked with a giggle. Everyone knew that they could super charge their healing with aura control, they just kept it down so the teachers couldn't force them to do anything. The teachers couldn't prove they were lying after all.

"We'll have Nyx to back us up to if worst comes to worst, besides I kind of want to go into Vale anyway for something," Kamui said. Ruby wondered what he could want but the way he held his necklace spoke for itself, it was family related. She noticed his red stone start glowing slightly and she wondered if another of his "outbursts" was coming on. He'd only had two "outbursts" since the docks and both times he vanished and didn't show up until late. He'd also become a bit more secluded for some reason like whatever he was going through was some kind of world breaking secret. Ruby wanted to ask him about it but she had decided to let him come to her, for now.

"We'll be there to back you guys up too," Jaune said as he stood up from his seat. Ruby smiled at the blonde, he was always there when people needed him. She always believed in Jaune, people liked to say that nice guys always finish last but to Ruby they always surprised you at some point.

"Yeah! If anyone messes with us we'll just break their legs and other parts too!" Nora declared.

"We have your back," Ren said simply. Ruby jumped up from her seat, pulling Kamui with her towards the door.

"Then it's settled, we'll head out now! This is our free day so we'll use our time wisely!" Ruby declared.

"What about Ruby's fun day?" Weiss asked.

"Undercover mission more important!" Ruby declared, making everyone laugh. Before Ruby could open the door though Kamui pulled her back.

"Hold up, plan first. Movie cliché undercover mission in the city afterwards," Kamui said and Ruby blushed in embarrassment. Kamui walked over to his drawer and pulled a paper scroll out and then he pulled a round table out of his closet and placed it in the middle of the room. Then he rolled the scroll out which was a full map of Vale city.

"We'll have to be careful, we can't just all go in one group or we'll draw attention. We'll have to split up into smaller groups to avoid detection, especially given our uh…. Now then ideas," Kamui said as he placed some weights on the edges of the map. Everyone gathered around the table like something straight out of a movie or game. Ruby made sure she was by her crush's side though, Jaune took his other side, the three leaders of their group stood at the head of the map.

"The White Fang have regular recruitment meetings all the time, I know where one will be held. I'll have to go alone since they won't allow humans in. Hopefully I can figure out there plans," Blake said.

"The CCT is rich with data on the dust heists. It would be easy for me to check the Schnee databank since I am part of the family," Weiss said as she pulled a crop stick out of nowhere and hit the area marked CCT.

"I have a friend in the Underworld that knows practically everything, shouldn't be a problem at all," Yang said as she marked the area with a red marker.

"JNPR will be on standby but we'll be sure to listen around and be roaming in case you guys need help," Jaune said as he traced his finger around the area of the map close to Blake's position.

"Ok now for the groups. Kamui and I will go with Weiss to the tower while Yang goes and hits up her friend. Then Blake will infiltrate the meeting, Jaune your team should hang out around Blake's position in case things go bad," Ruby said tactfully.

"That sounds good to me," Jaune said, receiving a few agreements from his team. Ren covered Nora's mouth though before she said something distracting now doubt.

"Alright then, make sure you guys keep in touch, we don't want someone to be stuck on their own out there. Once we have everything we need we'll meet up at the square or the tower. If that all goes south we'll just make up a meeting point and at the worst we just run back to Beacon," Kamui said as he tapped the map like an experienced general.

"Oh! We'll have to dress up to blend in and everything too!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, she really was set on making this like a cool spy movie.

"That sounds good to me!" Ruby turned to the window to see that it was open and a familiar blonde Faunus was hanging in front of it.

"Hey guys! Can we come to?" Sun asked as he swung into the room and pulled a blue haired guy in, Neptune.

"Hey guys, hi Snow Angel," Neptune said smoothly, making Weiss giggle slightly. Everyone was practically agape at that exchange but Ruby saw Jaune look like someone told him his puppy died. Poor guy…

"Lovely…" Kamui sighed and Ruby joined him, they just finished their cool plan too.

 **Jaune's POV**

"I can't believe that guy, what's he got that I don't have?" Jaune complained as he sat at a table in a simple coffee shop with his team. They had trailed after Blake and took shelter at a coffee shop close to where she would be going.

"Well, he's a cool guy, he doesn't stutter, his voice is deep and doesn't crack, he dresses better, he has better hair he-" Ren covered Nora's mouth before she said anything else. He gave Jaune a small shrug.

"Thanks Ren…" Jaune sighed as his head hit the table. Neptune had gained the attention of Weiss with only one sentence and he got to call her Snow Angel! Every time he called her that she got mad at him and dealt low blows to his already small ego.

"Don't worry Jaune, Weiss doesn't think you're terrible," Pyrrha said soothingly and Jaune just sighed in resignation.

"Yeah…she probably thinks I'm just a creep after her money…" Jaune grumbled, he might be oblivious but he wasn't completely oblivious as to not know how Weiss probably thought of him.

"Jaune…you're not doing any of that? Don't you remember how you stood up to Cardin when he was picking on Velvet?" Pyrrha soothed but Jaune just buried his face into his arms again. He barely noticed Ren and Nora leave.

Still Jaune did smile slightly in his depression. Velvet was a Faunus girl that Cardin had picked on since day one even though she was a year 2 student. Ever since Forever Fall he had shifted all his attention onto Velvet since Jaune had embarrassed him. Jaune wouldn't stand for that of course since his days of standing on the sidelines were done. He confronted the bully and told him that Velvet was his friend and that he would remember his words. Things might have turned out messy to be honest but Nora was backing him up so Cardin backed down. Velvet, even gave Jaune a kiss on the cheek for helping her out.

"Pyrrha…its just that…I thought that if I did things the old fashioned way I could woo her but all I seemed to do was drive her away. I only do those things because I care…I thought it would show her that I was different…" Jaune sighed dejected, losing his momentary pride.

Jaune's luck with girls was even worse than his fighting ability despite what Pyrrha might say. He just wanted to love someone; he didn't really care about money or status. Girls always laughed at him since he was the geek and it always hit him harder than it should have. It felt so unfair; it was like the world was taunting him with all the pretty girls at Beacon that he had no shot at getting, ever. They all thought he was a wimp and they would never give him the sort of attention he wanted. He couldn't sweet talk, he could barely fight, his voice cracked like a small child's and now he could add sounding like a creep to that list. What had he done wrong? He never wished harm on anyone.

"Pyrrha…I just wish that I could find someone like how Ruby and Kamui have found each other…they're both so innocent with their love, why can't my affection be seen like that?" Jaune asked sadly. It was hardly a secret that the two young prodigies of their year felt very strongly for each other. It was cute since they had no idea what they were doing. He felt Pyrrha wrap her arms around him and he just leaned into her arms, enjoying the comfort, he really didn't deserve a partner like her.

"You'll find someone who cares for you soon, Jaune. You can't keep comparing yourself to Kamui, it's not fair to you. Don't give up just because you've fallen down a few times. Give it your all, good girls will notice you if you keep it up…" Pyrrha said soothingly as she rubbed his back. Jaune just hoped she was right; he was tired of falling for nothing.

 **Ruby's POV**

"So does everyone remember the plan?" Ruby asked.

"Of course, we're already here anyway. I could have just called in with my scroll you know, why are we even here?" Weiss asked as the trio made their way to the CCT tower.

"She wanted to see the fancy tower," Kamui commented and the heiress laughed while Ruby blushed in embarrassment. He wasn't wrong but still!

"Not funny!" she yelled at her two partners. That just made them laugh harder though. In a way it was nice that Kamui had opened up to Weiss though, it made her less grouchy with Ruby since he tried to pick up the slack for her. Ruby was just glad that she wasn't being pushed about her feelings for the boy. Oum knows what would happen if Yang was with them instead of Weiss.

"It's alright Ruby, I…kind of wanted to come to the tower too…since it's near the square…" Kamui said softly as he fidgeted with a bouquet of roses. Ruby wondered why he was brining those, the irrational side of her thought he was bringing them to a secret love interest. It would fit…he was dressed up in a full black and white uniform like suit. Ruby shook her head though, really was reading too many stories. She told him to wear something else so it wouldn't scream he was a hunter in training. Maybe she should have told him to wear something more casual though that would have applied to Weiss too. Then again they still carried their weapons so changing their clothes seemed moot now…especially since Kamui's gun (Ruby made sure to bug him to bring it) and her Crescent Rose weren't exactly helping with the stealth thing.

"What did you need Kamui?" Weiss asked, eying the flowers he was carrying. Kamui just pointed towards the statue in the middle of the courtyard. It was a large statue of a young man with spiky long hair. He was dressed like a samurai and he held a katana, raised in the air. His eyes were forward and they were quite intense for a hunk of rock.

"Excuse me…" Kamui said as he walked towards the statue. Ruby and Weiss followed after him as he approached the statue and Ruby looked down at the engraving to see that it said "Sumeragi Legacy", so he was Kamui's dad. Kamui placed the flowers down onto the pedestal the statue was on. He bowed his head and said a few things that Ruby couldn't hear before he turned to them.

"Shall we? I'm done…" Kamui said as he pointed towards the tower. Ruby frowned at her crush and she snapped her fingers, she pulled out her scroll. She knew better than to try and force him to spill, so she'd entice it out!

"Kamui we should get a picture! The tower and the statue are cool and you can put them in your book!" Ruby exclaimed as she tried to fish her scroll out but she ended up launching it by accident. She watched it fall in front of someone, who picked it up and held it out to her. This person however was someone that Ruby had been worried about fro quite some time.

"You dropped this," Penny said.

"Penny?" Ruby and Kamui asked at the same time. Ruby might have blushed but she was too busy with the fact that her friend who had been missing for weeks now was suddenly right in front of her.

"Oh…" Penny seemed a bit startled by them and she quickly tossed her scroll to her. Ruby barely managed to catch it before she realized that Penny began walking off.

"Penny wait!" Ruby called.

"Let's go," Kamui nodded to her before he went after her but before Ruby could go Weiss caught her arm.

"Wait what about the plan?" Weiss asked. Ruby had to think of something fast, she couldn't let Penny just walk away.

"You can handle it right? Besides this might be something that can help us. Call us if you need help," Ruby said to her partner as she ran after her friends. She ignored Weiss' calls as she caught up to Penny and Kamui.

"Ruby has been worried about you and I was wondering what happened as well," Kamui asked as he stood in front of Penny.

"I'm sorry you must be mistaken," Penny replied as she moved around him but Ruby quickly zoomed in front of her and held her by her shoulders.

"Penny, we've been so worried about you! It's been weeks, what happened to you? You just disappeared," Ruby pleaded. Penny's green eyes widened before she looked around. Then she grabbed Ruby's hand and one of Kamui's and dragged them both off.

"It's not safe to talk here," she said simply as they caught themselves and walked alongside her.

"Were you kidnapped when we weren't looking?" Kamui asked as they walked the busy streets of Vale.

"No, I wasn't kidnapped, I just had to come home," Penny answered. Ruby frowned since Penny sounded so nervous now, unlike how energetic she was before.

"Penny, we think those guys we fought at the docks are planning something big. Do you know anything about them? Anything at all?" Ruby asked softly. Penny sighed as she walked along.

"No, I don't know anything about those people at the docks besides that they were White Fang and Roman Torchwick. I'm sorry, I wish I could help you guys out but I wasn't aloud to go out or speak to any of you at all," Penny said softly.

"Did you get in trouble?" Kamui asked. Ruby hoped she didn't get in trouble because she helped them. Ruby would never forgive herself if she lost her friend for that reason.

"No, I didn't get in trouble, my father is just worried about me. He loves me very very much but he's just protective…" Penny said quickly. Ruby knew that all too well, her own dad barely let her come to Beacon! Though to be fair it was literally out of nowhere.

"I know that feeling all too well," Ruby muttered but before they could speak more they came across a showing. There were a few Atlesian Knight 130s bowing down towards the crowd. It was one of Atlas' weapon shows, Ruby loved watching them, being the weapon enthusiast she was.

"General Ironwood is showing off again…" Kamui commented. Ruby zeroed in on the hologram talking to the people and saw that it was indeed the leader of Atlas' academy and military. He was renowned as a tactical and technological genius as well as a skilled hunter. It was also well known that he was always trying to overtake Beacon as the top hunter academy. Of course Ozpin always beat him at every turn that mattered, the man was eerily efficient despite how laid back he acted.

"Allow me to introduce the Atlesian Knight 200!" General Ironwood announced. The containers behind the 130s all opened and out of them came a couple armored androids. Unlike the 130s though they moved much smoother and more coordinated as they knocked the 130s down. Then they all did some form of greetings towards the crowd.

"I still don't see how robots substitute for Hunters," Kamui commented, unimpressed. While Ruby agreed with the sentiment she still thought they were really cool.

"While Atlas wants to keep men and woman out of harms way there will always be situations that require a more…human touch. So allow me to introduce you to our new combat power armor, the Atlesian Paladin!" Ironwood's hologram disappeared and in its place appeared a very large mech, heavily armored and heavily armed, a literal walking tank. Ruby's eyes widened at the sight but before she could say anything she noticed two of the Atlas soldiers pointing towards them.

"Uh…Kamui, Ruby we shouldn't stay here…" Penny urged as she pulled on their arms. When the soldiers started coming towards them though Penny took off.

"Hey, Penny wait!" Ruby called as she and Kamui ran after their strange friend. They ran down an alley after her while the Atlas soldiers were on their tail. Ruby drew her scythe and Kamui drew his sword and they both slashed at two posts holding boxes, which all came tumbling down to create a blockade. Ruby grabbed hold of Kamui's hand again and used her semblance to catch them up to Penny.

"Come on Penny!" Ruby cried as she grabbed ahold of Penny and pulled them both along with her semblance down an alley as fast as she could. Unfortunately she pushed herself a little too hard and her semblance dropped. They skid to a stop when they hit the ground and she dropped Penny. Except Ruby kept going and ended up tumbling into the middle of the street while Kamui went by her but she wasn't sure.

"Ow…never doing that again…" Ruby whined as she wobbled onto her feet. She looked across the street to see Kamui dusting himself off but before she could orient herself again she heard the blaring of a truck. She turned towards the street again to see a big truck coming right at her! Before she could react though she was pushed out of the way followed by a loud crunch of metal. When Ruby looked back up from the ground she saw that Penny had managed to stop the truck…with her bare hands! She'd only seen her sister do something like that, even with aura enhancement that shouldn't have been possible.

"Ruby!" Kamui shouted as Ruby found herself being pulled to her feet. Her secret crush was looking her over worriedly but she batted him off, as much as she didn't want to.

"I'm fine! But…Penny…" Ruby looked back at her orange haired friend who was staring at them with widened eyes. She ran off before any words came and then once again they had to chase down the girl. They ran after her down another alley until she finally came to a stop. Just to be safe, Ruby used her semblance to speed in front of her so she wouldn't run off while Kamui came from the way they came from.

"Penny! Are you ok? What happened?" Ruby asked worriedly. Her friend shied away from her though and she pushed her hands against her chest like they were the plague.

"It's nothing Ruby! I…I just don't want to talk about it!" Penny stammered as she turned around but Kamui was there and he had his arms crossed at her.

"Surely you must be hurt though? You just stopped a truck," Kamui said gently.

"You two wouldn't understand," Penny said defensively as she pressed herself against a wall.

"Let us try, you can trust us," Ruby pressed as she cautiously got closer to her, not wanting to scare her. Penny seemed to think over something before she brought her hands up to her chest.

"You two are my friends right…I can trust you right? Promise me," she said desperately. Ruby and Kamui shared a confused look before they turned back to their friend.

"Of course," Ruby answered for them. Then Penny opened her hands and showed her palms to them. Ruby expected to see a bunch of scraps and some bruises but instead she saw metal behind torn skin.

"Guys…I'm not a real girl…I'm a synthetic, an android, the first android to generate aura," Penny said softly. Ruby's eyes widened and she was a bit speechless while Kamui whistled, impressed.

"A synthetic with free will…I heard the rumors…but still, to be right in front of it," Kamui commented. He took the words right out of Ruby's mouth.

"So…that's it?" Ruby asked, confused. Penny seemed surprised by their acceptance. Blake had done the same thing to Ruby though so it wasn't exactly as shocking as it could have been…kind of.

"You're not…disgusted?" Penny asked.

"Nope," Ruby said cheerfully followed by a laugh from Kamui.

"But…I'm not real…" Penny said sadly. Kamui stepped up this time and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"You think that just because you're metal and bolts instead of flesh and bone that you're any less real than Ruby or myself? I don't think so," Kamui said supportively.

"Yeah! In fact I think it's really cool! I mean you must have some kind of super powers by default because you're a android!" Ruby gushed. Penny smiled widely at them and then she pulled them both into a tight hug with strength that would have made Yang jealous.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Penny gushed as she held them tightly. Kamui didn't complain but he was taller than both of them so his face wasn't being smothered like Ruby's was.

"Ok…I can see why your father would want to protect you…" Ruby wheezed. When the hug ended and while Ruby regained her breath, Kamui spoke for her.

"I can understand your fears but I don't understand why you would be aloud to come out here," Kamui said.

"My father wanted me to experience the world a bit, though not to the extent that I've done…" Penny said, embarrassed.

"Did your father build you?" Ruby asked, finally regaining her breath.

"Mostly but he had some help from Mr. Ironwood," Penny said simply.

"The General?" Ruby asked.

"So that's why those soldiers came after you," Kamui theorized.

"They're just protecting me. After all, I'm supposed to protect the world at some point, but I still have a lot to learn. That's one of the main reasons they let me come to the Vytal Festival. They want to see how I act with the outside world and see me compare to the other fighters. One of my teachers, Mr. Legacy is especially waiting to see how I fare," Penny said. Ruby's ears perked up when she heard that name, it was Kamui's last name after all…

"Penny…would…your teacher happen to be named…Arthur or Takumi?" Kamui asked, Ruby saw him look a bit pale like the news horrified him. Penny tilted her head in confusion until her eyes widened.

"Oh! That's right you have the same surname! I was wondering if you were the Kamui my teacher was talking about! Rest assured he only says good things about you!" Penny gushed. Kamui chuckled nervously and turned away and then he flinched. Ruby saw where he was looking and saw the guards from earlier coming towards them.

"Go! I'll be fine, they're just going to take me back to my father," Penny shouted as she pushed them towards the exit of the alley.

"But Penny!" Ruby protested.

"Just go! I promise we'll talk again," Penny smiled at them and then Ruby felt Kamui pull her along. She sighed as she relented to the hold and ran off before the guards caught up.

"Let's go up," Kamui said and Ruby nodded as they jumped up to the rooftops, to avoid being sighted by the guards in case they came looking for them. Ruby sat down on the roof as she sighed while Kamui took a seat next to her.

"This how you expected our little excursion to go?" Kamui asked and Ruby shook her head.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Yes, she's a fighter if I've ever seen one and I've seen a lot of them. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her at the tournament, she said she would be participating in it after all," Kamui said.

"Hey…Kamui…she said her teacher was your brother…but if he's as bad as you make him sound, why did she sound like your brother thinks very highly of you?" Ruby asked, cautiously. Kamui let out a long sigh as he leaned against the roof's railing.

"My siblings and I…we actually have a good relationship with each other…they fret over me more than anything really, similar to how Yang tries to look after you. As you can imagine they never really liked to let me do anything slightly dangerous, I couldn't wait to get away. It's been that way ever since our parents passed or disappeared. It's not them as people that I dislike, it's what they've done as Hunters and Legacies that gives me a very bad taste in my mouth," Kamui sighed as he leaned back. He looked very sad like he didn't want what he said to be true.

"That's why it's hard for me. I know they're good people but well…I'll just say it like this. They care for the well-being of the world but they care for their friends and family above all else, everyone else is expendable to them," Kamui explained and Ruby frowned. That didn't sound so bad, there wasn't anything wrong with holding your loved ones closely.

"I know it sounds nice…but would you say that if you lost your sister and my brother simply said she was expendable while he would just as easily dive back in if it were his sister?" Kamui asked. That got Ruby thinking, she never really thought about it like that before. She knew that if Yang died and she was just told she was expendable she would probably hack the person who said that to pieces. She was starting to understand the dilemma her crush was going through but before she could think about it more their scrolls beeped.

"It's Blake," Kamui said as he stood up and opened his scroll up.

"Guys! We're in a bit of trouble! We got a giant-HELP! There's a giant freaking robot after us and Torchwick is in it…or something just help us!" Blake and then Sun shouted over the comm. Ruby smiled softly at the idea of fighting a giant robot and if Torchwick was in it, then all the better, two birds with one stone!

"Jaune! Aren't you guys supposed to be close to her? Go support her!" Kamui commanded.

"Uh…yeah, oh there they are! Let's go guys!" Jaune stammered over the comm.

"We're going to draw it towards the highway and try to get it to fall off onto the ground, we'll have a lot of space to fight it there!" Blake shouted over the comm.

"Well, you heard her, let's go!" Ruby shouted, excitedly.

"You got it!" Yang affirmed.

"Do I always have to bail them out?" Weiss sighed.

"Come on Kamui!" Ruby shouted as they turned their scrolls off but before they got far, Kamui fell to his knees.

"Damn it…not now…" Kamui panted as he gripped his head. Ruby's eyes zeroed in on his stone and it started glowing a hellish red, he was about to have another of his outbursts. She moved to help him but he held his hand up to her.

"Ruby go! I'll catch up!" Kamui shouted as he waved her off. Ruby stared at him worriedly but his eyes were…begging her? He really didn't want her to see whatever was going to happen…she was tempted to throw that to the wind because he was in pain but he seemed so adamant about it.

"Please…Ruby…go…I promise I'll be fine…give this to Jaune…he'll find more use for it…" Kamui begged as he unburdened his gun and threw it towards her. Ruby caught it easily but she kept staring at him worriedly.

"Fine…but you better not be hurt…" Ruby said softly and he nodded. Then with a small sigh she jumped off the roof and began speeding her way towards the designated area.

 **Kamui's POV**

"Thank Oum…" Kamui panted as Ruby left, he would rather kill himself than let her see him in this state. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to hold off his outburst. Sweat dripped down his face and his blood burned as the change came forth. His black aura began swelling around him visibly and he stopped resisting the calling in his blood. There was a pool of water under him and he stared at his reflection.

"So let it be…" he said as his eyes began glowing. His skin paled to a deathly color and some of his veins blackened under his skin. Then his aura engulfed him and all went dark for a few moments. He couldn't see anything outside his aura or even sense anything. Pain ran through him though as his body began adjusting itself, he was not used to it yet.

He saw black armor form over his hands and his arms as it covered his entire body until it crept up to his face and a helmet formed around his head and he felt his breath become ragged behind his helmet. Then when everything was done forming around him his cocoon of aura disappeared. He panted slightly as he recovered from the ordeal and he felt something nudge his side and he looked up through his helmet to see that Nyx had come to him during his episode.

"Thanks girl…" he said, feeling uncomfortable with his morphed voice. He stood up shakily. He looked down at his reflection in the water and he wasn't sure what to feel.

He was covered in black armor from head to toe. The armor was designed in more of a demonic way, the texture of the amour was scaly similar to Nyx's scales. His helmet was a face mask in the front with two holes for his orange eyes to peer through and there were two large horns sticking out of his helmet as well that curved back and forward. A black tattered cape hung from his back as well like he didn't look demonic enough. His Yato retained its form mostly but it had grown larger into something more akin to a great sword's length to suit his new height and it gave off a purple glow as the four spheres on his sword glowed. The other thing about his transformation was that he had grown at least five inches, he was taller than Jaune now by his estimates.

"A true Legacy…of a world long thought lost…" Kamui mumbled. He reached up to take hold of his red stone, which was still glowing. Nyx growled slightly as she nudged him again and he pet her snout gently with his armored hand. It wasn't the first time he had gone through this, all his outbursts over the weeks were him transforming into this.

"I don't hate it…I'm actually ecstatic but I can't exactly just use this whenever I want…" Kamui sighed and Nyx gave off a dismissive snort. He chuckled slightly, getting more used to his voice. After all…this was his true self, the true form of the Rider of War, a black armored demon knight. If all went well then he would have complete control over it soon. This form didn't rely on his aura, it was his true self after all. He just had to learn how to hold it like he would hold his human state.

"Do you think Ruby would accept me, Nyx?" Kamui asked. Nyx gave a small growl followed by an angry hiss. Kamui smiled gently at his partner's protective nature. Nyx just said that she believed Ruby wasn't short sighted and if she were she would eat her. Still he held hope, the way she accepted Penny spoke very well of his chances, he would just have to be more careful though.

"Good girl…" Kamui sighed as Nyx nuzzled him softly. It was sad but Kamui often thought that Nyx was a better sister than his actual sister. She didn't fret over him like he was a small child, she pushed him to try his best and if there was a problem then she would interfere.

"I'm getting better at controlling it…it didn't hurt as much this time when I went through the change…" Kamui sighed. The first time at the docks was very painful and he shuddered at the memory, his entire body felt like it was on fire. The form barely held for a moment thankfully, his friends didn't see a thing; they just thought it was his semblance acting up. Ever since then the pain was lessening and soon he wouldn't even feel it and he was gaining more control over it every time, thanks to his stone. Without the stone control would be more difficult and he might very well lose himself if he wasn't careful.

"We shouldn't waste anymore time though…" Kamui said, his friends needed their help. Well maybe they didn't but he didn't want Ruby to ask him too many questions. He felt his time in that form coming to a close anyway. He concentrated for a few moments and he winced as his body reverted back. His body was a little sore but nothing handicapping. He pumped his aura through his body and the pain dulled.

"Come on Nyx, let's go help out our friends," Kamui said as his dragon kneeled down for him to climb on

 **Jaune's POV**

"How did you guys get a giant robot to come after you?!" Jaune shouted as he hid behind one of the pillars supporting the highway. Pyrrha and Ren were behind it with him, poking out only for brief periods to take potshots at the Paladin that had chased after Blake and Sun.

"We didn't have a choice, we had to bug out fast and this thing came after us barely after we got out of the building!" Blake shouted back as she sprinted away from the robot that was trying to crush her.

"Just shut up and help us kill it!" Yang shouted as she fired some of her explosive rounds at the oversized mech. The rounds were next to useless though as they exploded against the Paladin's thick armor.

"You'll have to do better than that kiddies!" Torchwick taunted as he sprinted after them.

"Move!" Blake screamed. Jaune yelped and quickly sprinted away from his cover but he didn't have to. Nora flew in from out of nowhere and smashed her hammer into the torso area of the mech, sending it flying off its feet.

"No one beats the hammer time!" Nora shouted joyfully.

"Stupid kids…" Torchwick grumbled as he returned to his feet and charged them again but before he did, Weiss jumped down from the highway and created a field of ice in front of him, making him trip. Then Ruby came down, blasting away at the Paladin's shell with her powerful Crescent Rose. She landed on top of it and slashed away at the mech a few times before she had to jump off.

"Hey gangs all here! Wait where's Kamui?" Yang asked as the eight of them all formed up. Jaune noticed that the white haired rider was nowhere to be seen as well.

"He's busy right now, he'll be here soon!" Ruby shouted back. Then she pulled something off her back and threw it towards Jaune. He yelped as he barely caught the object in his hands and he realized that it was Kamui's gun, Strike.

"Use it! He said you would find more use for it now," Ruby shouted. Jaune fumbled to hold the thing correctly and he pointed it towards the Paladin and pulled the trigger. The kick was hard and he almost lost hold of the gun, fortunately his shot was dead on and collided with the Paladin though it had little more effect than Yang's bombardment. Thankfully though Nora and Yang managed to catch its side and knock it away with their sheer strength.

"We aren't going to punch through the armor, we have to hit it's joints!" Weiss shouted. On queue though she got hit by a flying Nora and Yang, creating a tumble of limbs.

"Ow…" Nora whined as she jumped up right away.

"Blake! Ladybug! Everyone else hit him when he's open!" Ruby commanded as she and Blake sped off and started striking against the Paladin in a way similar to how Pyrrha and Kamui teamed up on something bigger than them.

"Copycats…" Pyrrha commented, did Jaune detect a bit of bitterness?

"Let's help them out then, Nora, Ren do Flower Power!" Jaune commanded but nothing happened except awkward silence between his teammates.

"What?" Ren asked. Nora seemed a bit confused as well and Pyrrha was giving him a gentle smile that he knew meant she was trying to humor him.

"Come on! We went through this before, weren't you guys paying attention to me when I went over our team moves?" Jaune asked. His team all seemed to look away or whistle innocently.

"Vomit Boy! Get your team in the game!" Yang shouted. Jaune groaned in annoyance and turned back to the fight. Blake and Ruby were little speed demons, cleverly skirting around the Paladin, slashing it as they passed. Their blades weren't hurting it but they were aiming for the legs. Yang was trying to pound down but even her strikes were only creating small dents in the armor. Weiss was off to the side, firing some of her dust spells at the Paladin, trying to slow it down.

"Fine! Let's just go in! Attack!" he shouted. That at least got him a reception as his team rushed in to the battle. It was a little embarrassing since his team outran him and reached the battle before he could.

"Nora, help Yang attack the body! Pyrrha, Ren attack the legs with Ruby and Blake!" Jaune commanded. Nora gave a small salute and vaulted over the Paladin with her hammer and slammed it's back, knocking it forward into a super punch from Yang. The Paladin was sent back from the powerful strike.

"Blake! Quick!" Ruby shouted. Blake threw her Gambol Shroud towards Ruby and they used the ribbon like a trip wire for the Paladin. Even then the Paladin didn't trip right away but Ren and Pyrrha both clipped one of it's legs, knocking it off balance as it tripped over the shroud.

"Damn kids!" Torchwick screamed through his mic as he struggled to right his mech up. Why wouldn't the damn thing just fall over! Jaune shrugged and decided to hell with it and charged in.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted but Jaune ignored the worried pleas of his partner. Using strength he didn't know he had, he propelled himself into the air. His aura augmented strength behind his shield slammed into the Paladin's chest. The blow was enough and the Paladin fell onto its back.

"Holy crap I did it…" Jaune thought stupefied. Before he could enjoy his moment of glory though the Paladin picked him up and threw him off.

"Ah!" Jaune yelped as he collided with someone. He heard groaning under him and he stood up to see that his savior was Ren, who looked rather content with lying down.

"Thanks Ren," Jaune panted as he shook his joints out. Ren just gave him a small wave but still didn't get up.

"Nice hit, Jaune," Pyrrha complimented as she fired her rifle at the Paladin. Jaune blushed from the praise but he shook it off and leveled the overpowered gun he got from Ruby and started firing at the still downed Paladin.

"Why won't you just break?!" Yang screamed as she stood on top of the robot and beat her fists against it like a maniac. Nora was next to her doing something similar while Weiss was trying to keep it down with her ice dust.

"That thing's tough," Ruby panted as she appeared beside Jaune with Blake. The two girls were breathing hard from exertion but Jaune knew they were far from out.

"How do we stop that thing?" Pyrrha asked.

"Wheee!" Jaune broke away from the conversation to see Nora and Weiss coming at them.

"Weiss!"

"Nora!" Ruby and Ren shouted respectively. Unfortunately for the boy with a magenta strand both girls landed on top of him. Jaune winced at the sound, Ren looked like he was wishing he would just die.

"You bastard, just break!" Yang shouted as she slammed both her fists into the robot, firing her explosive shells. That seemed to piss Torchwick off though since he reached up and grabbed her and set her up and slammed her through a pillar like a volleyball. Even Yang had to feel that.

"Yang!" Blake shouted in distress.

"Is she ok?" Jaune asked, worriedly. Blake was about to move in but Ruby held her back.

"Wait, this is good, her semblance will just make her stronger. This might be the chance we need. Weiss, get Ice Flower ready, use it for Jaune too," Ruby commanded. Weiss nodded and activated her glyphs and created a series of them in front of Ruby and Jaune.

"When I call it, Jaune shoot through the glyph," Ruby commanded and Jaune nodded and took aim at the Paladin as it made its way towards the downed Yang. Her aura lit up around her though and her hair started glowing. She stood up slowly and when she was on her feet, the Paladin thrust its hand towards her but she caught it and stopped it, a shockwave of the force destroyed the ground behind her but she still stood.

"Hiya!" Yang raised her other fist and smashed it into the Paladin's, blowing the arm clean off.

"You little brat!" Torchwick shouted as he kicked her away, sending her flying over everyone's heads.

"Now!" Ruby shouted. Jaune didn't think and just fired Strike again and again, through Weiss's glyphs. His blasts were augmented by the glyph giving them a sort of icy temperament. They connected with the Paladin, freezing it's legs in place while Ruby's shots froze it's arm.

"Now what?" Torchwick complained but his day would get even worse. A familiar roar rang through the sky and Jaune looked towards the sky to see the familiar black dragon, Nyx swoop down. He caught sight of Kamui on her back as the dragon swooped down and chomped down on the Paladin with its powerful jaws. It thrashed around with it like a chew toy before it tossed it towards them.

"What the hell?!" Jaune yelped.

"Yang go!" Ruby shouted. On queue the glowing blonde brawler sprung over them and delivered a powerful punch to the Paladin, shattering it like glass as she sent it into the ground. As the shell fell away a white coat wearing man rolled to his feet, Roman Torchwick. How was he fine through all that?

"I just got that thing cleaned and upgraded too…" Roman sighed as he set his hat straight. Yang fired two of her explosive blasts at the man and everyone else who had firearms, Jaune included opened fire. Except before the bullets or dust rounds reached the criminal, a rather short girl with an umbrella dispersed them.

"What the hell?!" Yang swore. The small girl wore a fancy white coat with a brown midriff and brown pants with some sort of white boot things, the umbrella she held seemed to go very well with her outfit. She was rather short but the cocky grin on her face made Jaune's skin crawl. Her hair was a split between pink and brown with some shades of blonde in there. Going along with her hair, her eyes had the same split, one of her eyes was brown and the other was pink. Her eyes zeroed in on Jaune and he flinched but she just gave him a flirtatious wink, making him blush, wait what?

"Kamui get them!" Ruby shouted. On reaction Nyx roared and opened her mouth as she breathed her dragon fire at the duo.

"And the children keep getting weirder…Neo if you would!" Torckwick commanded and the girl now deemed Neo bowed and then the flames engulfed them. Jaune yelped as the flames kept coming towards them but they stopped right before they hit them, thanks to Weiss, who put up an ice shield over them, which melted on impact from the fire.

"Talk about toasty huh guys?" Yang asked, jokingly. Everyone groaned in response but Jaune gave a small scoff. Yang gave him a small grin but he averted his eyes to the fire that had died down thankfully but his eyes widened when he saw that Torchwick and his accomplice were gone, just gone, no remains, not even ash if the fire got them, which Jaune seriously doubted.

"Great they got away…" Blake growled, or hissed. Nyx stepped towards where they were and she lowered her head as if she was sniffing for them. Her head shuddered and she growled in what Jaune thought was an annoyed snort. Kamui patted her neck and then he jumped off of her. The glyph that Nyx always came out of appeared at her feet and she disappeared again off to who knows where.

"I didn't expect that one, do you guys know that girl?" Weiss asked. Jaune shrugged as he made his way over to his friend.

"Sorry I got here late guys…I was…delayed…" Kamui said, Jaune detected the tired tone in his voice and the way he was holding his necklace seemed to speak for itself. Another outburst was it, still he looked better than all the other times he had one.

"Another outburst?" Pyrrha asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Jaune felt a little annoyed at her dotting but he shook it off before any bad thoughts could come up. The two had known each other for quite some time after all and besides, Kamui was going after Ruby. Wait why did he care who Pyrrha fancied?

"Yeah…it's getting better though, not too much pain this time," Kamui reassured as he took a small breath. Ruby took over though and helped support him even though he was standing alright. Jaune smiled slightly at the sign of affection, they really were cute. He saw Yang and Pyrrha smile as well.

"Well we certainty ended this night with a Yang!" Yang announced, killing the mood.

"Let's just go home, no use wasting more time here," Weiss said and everyone agreed.

"Hey…I thought Neptune and Sun were with us?" Ruby asked. Jaune looked around and saw that indeed the duo was nowhere to be found. They all sighed and decided that the boys were probably fine, it was late and they were tired. Worry about it in the morning.


	9. Revelations

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone, so things are coming a bit slow now since school is hitting me hard right now. I would be working on this more but life takes priority. Anyway thanks for all the follows and favorites! I didn't think people would like this that much. This chapter turned out way longer than I thought it would though but there are a lot of introductions and exposition here as well. Oh boy I hope things aren't appearing a little rushed. Now we're getting to the parts I've been looking forward to writing! Anyway as always enjoy and please review, so I know what you guys think. Also I moved it back to the normal RWBY thing for now to get a little more feedback hopefully.

Chapter 8: Revelation

 **Kamui's POV**

"Miss Nikos and Mr. Legacy vs Miss Rose and Miss Schnee!" Professor Goodwitch announced. Kamui was a bit surprised by that matchup but he wasn't opposed to it. He gave Pyrrha a smile and she nodded back to him.

"Oh come on!" Ruby whined followed by a yelp as Weiss elbowed her side. Their group shared a laugh at that but the feeling was understood. Yes everyone had grown in their skills but still, Pyrrha and Kamui were growing as well. Ever since the midterms they started pushing themselves harder than ever, they couldn't afford to lose their edge after all. Alone was bad enough but together? One would shudder at the thought, even Yang.

"Think of it as a more advanced lesson," Kamui offered as he summersaulted into the arena, followed by a few show off calls. What? He just chose the quicker way opposed to the stairs. Pyrrha avoided the stairs as well though she just vaulted as opposed to the dramatic flip he did.

"You always have to give it everything don't you?" Pyrrha asked but she was smiling and he shrugged.

"I need to keep appearances, besides you should too, if you want to catch Jaune's attention," he said the last part quietly and she blushed before she turned her gaze towards their blonde partner who waved at them.

"The dance is coming up…" Kamui added softly. Pyrrha rounded on him and pushed him softly with a small smirk.

"Oh? What about you and Ruby?" she asked and Kamui froze up slightly but he shook his head.

"For your information…I am going to ask her…" Kamui replied followed by Pyrrha giggles. Thankfully at that point Ruby and Weiss had arrived at the arena, accepting their fate. Or rather Ruby looked dejected but Weiss was as determined as always.

"Shall we?" Kamui asked as he drew Yato. Pyrrha drew Akuou and Milo and gave him a nod. They tapped Yato and Milo together by their blades as they turned to face their opponents.

Normally the spars in Professor Goodwitch's class were just duels but since the Vytal Tournament was coming up and the students from the other academies were arriving fast, the curriculum had changed. Now Goodwitch was having them take two on two duels or team vs team matches. In Pyrrha and Kamui's cases they had taken on entire teams alone and won of course. They still hadn't managed to face each other though but working together had been done already. Even if she didn't tell them to, the two had been working together for years already. Kamui wondered if it was Goodwitch's way of disciplining her students. After all she couldn't actively take action against her students, she was a teacher. But she could pit them against someone who would no doubt mop the floor with them. Indeed, every bit as relentless as Kamui was led to believe.

"Are you all ready?" Goodwitch asked. Kamui and Pyrrha both took their stances while Ruby and Weiss did the same. Ruby hefted Crescent Rose with a flourish and Weiss raised Myrtenaster. Kamui narrowed his eyes as he blocked out distractions. His eyes darted from Ruby to Weiss, deciding which one to go after. He shared a small glance with Pyrrha and motioned towards Ruby subtly, which she acknowledged.

"Begin!" Goodwitch announced and they all moved. Ruby charged right for Kamui but Pyrrha intercepted her scythe halfway, surprising her. Pyrrha then grabbed the shaft of her scythe and yanked her forward for a kick but Ruby vaulted over her weapon and delivered a kick to Pyrrha's shield and wrenched herself free, using Akouo as a springboard. Weiss charged Pyrrha's side but Kamui jumped over his Spartan partner and his Yato clashed against Weiss's Myrtenaster.

Kamui pressed hard on Weiss, whose eyes widened slightly as she tried to push back but to no avail. A constant frustration that Kamui always talked with Weiss about was that direct swordsmanship with him was ill advised for her. By direct he meant prolonged sword contact. Weiss was great at parrying and countering, even better than Kamui who prided himself on that, in the finesse and precision sense anyway. After all her blade was more suited for that. Except Kamui had trained in more arts of countering and swordsmanship than just finesse or speed based moves and styles. He also had strength that he could couple with speed, something he had in spades over Weiss.

"Hiya!" Kamui wrenched her blade to the side with his own easily, noting that her strength had increased slightly but so had his. He shoulder tackled her, sending her back before he made a diagonal cleave upwards. Weiss managed to deflect his strike quickly and took a stab at him but he quickly used the momentum on his sword and curved his blade to the side, catching her rapier, pushing it to the side. Weiss used her finesse to her advantage though and quickly pulled away before he could capitalize on her. She jumped back a few feet, leveling her rapier towards him in her usual fencing stance. She held a determined look on her face but her mouth twisted up into the traces of a smile, one that he returned.

"Doing alright?" Pyrrha asked when he felt her presence behind him.

"Pretty well, I suppose. She's gotten better, how's Ruby doing?" Kamui asked as he raised his sword into a pointed position with his two hands.

"Faster of course, think we'll have to break out our Semblances?" Pyrrha asked.

"You talk like you never do…" he threw back. At that point Weiss and Ruby seemed to be tired of waiting. Kamui saw Weiss summon one of her glyphs behind her and she leaned back before she lunged at him, using her glyph as her extra push. Kamui readied his blade but before the moment of no return came he called it, "Switch!"

"Got it!" Pyrrha replied as Kamui ducked and turned around to meet Ruby's scythe, parrying it away before he followed it up with a second slash, catching her arm. She took the strike well though and used to momentum to spin around and slash at him with her scythe. Kamui barely had time to react and moved to the side to dodge it before he slashed at her torso but of course he missed. Ruby used her semblance for a quick getaway, appearing at the end of the arena again. She leveled her strike but she had a smug look on her face. Kamui tilted his head and look to his right arm and saw a small dent on his armor, his eyes widened at the sight, he didn't even feel it. His armor was tough, self-repairing and his aura was built around the idea of being a juggernaut but still, usually he would feel a strike. She must have used her semblance during her strike to get him, that's why he didn't notice it.

"That won't work again…" Kamui thought as he raised his sword. Ruby leveled her scythe and fired a round at him, which Kamui deflected with his sword and during that motion she lunged in with her semblance. Kamui smirked and quickly swung his sword in an overhead arc. Yato and Crescent Rose met, sparks flying from the clash but Kamui pressed on. He followed his arc with two more slashes, both catching Ruby's stomach before he kicked her into the wall of the arena. She gasped as she fell to the ground, holding her gut; he had knocked the wind out of her roughly. A sound of metal hitting metal followed by a grunt of pain came from behind him and he turned to see Pyrrha hit Weiss in the head with her shield while at the same time Weiss managed to kick her in the gut. Pyrrha powered through though jabbed her with Milo in spear form, sending Weiss back. Except Weiss spun the dust revolver on her Myrtenaster and fired a lighting spell at them.

"Move!" Pyrrha shouted and Kamui moved quickly as the lightning hit where they were standing. Then once again like how the match started, Pyrrha and Kamui were on one side while Weiss and Ruby staggered over to their side. Kamui reached up to wipe some sweat away from his face while Ruby and Weiss were gasping for breath.

"I…knew this wasn't going to be easy but come on…" Ruby whined as she raised her scythe.

"S-Shut up you dolt…we could be winning if you had gotten…past Pyrrha…" Weiss panted. Kamui looked up at the screen to see that he and Pyrrha were still in the green while Weiss was in the yellow and Ruby was a little lower than her.

"Quick Weiss! Ice Prison!" Ruby ordered. Kamui tensed as the two sprung up into the air, using Weiss's glyphs as ground. Ruby started firing at them with her sniper rounds and Kamui cursed as he and Pyrrha were forced to dodge. They found their way back in the middle of the arena again, back to back so that they could defend against attacks from any angle. But that's when things started turning interesting. At that point Kamui saw Weiss start forming her glyphs on Ruby's gun, similar to their Ice Flower maneuver. Ruby fired but the ice rounds were not aimed at them.

"What?" Pyrrha asked and Kamui was confused too. The ice rounds were hitting around them but that was it, they were just wasting aura with that. Except Kamui knew that Ruby could hit them if she wanted to easily. He looked at the ice forming on the ground, they were completely surrounded by it but that was it. Then his eyes widened when the ice formed together into a wall. It was a trap!

"Move!" Kamui commanded but it was too late. The ice quickly formed a sort of dome around them into an icy prison. Kamui sighed in annoyance as Pyrrha thrust her spear into one of the walls but it repelled her attack.

"Interesting…the walls are made from dust ice but they're enchanted repel our attacks in here," Pyrrha commented as she touched the wall. Kamui sighed and looked at his scroll and his eyes widened when he saw his aura and Pyrrha's slowly depleting. Those sneaky girls.

"It's draining our aura, we have to get out!" Kamui shouted.

"I think it's time you unveil what your sword can do then, Kamui," Pyrrha said with a small smirk. Kamui sighed but he smiled and held Yato out. Below the writing on the blade there were four spheres that ran to the guard. He concentrated for a few moments and then he tapped the two bottom spheres and they began glowing red.

"Emerge, Shadow Yato!" Kamui commanded and his blade began giving off a red glow as it grew to the size of a greatsword. He raised the sword and then it started to give off flames. He nodded to Pyrrha who ducked down as he swung his sword around in a circle, sending the flames out in a circling arc around them. The ice melted on impact, the prison melted down after a few moments, freeing them from its grasp as the flames ran through the arena, leaving black scorch marks everywhere. Kamui looked up at Ruby and Weiss who both had shocked looks on their faces.

"Shall we end this?" Pyrrha asked and Kamui nodded. He twirled his flaming sword around a few times before it rested on his shoulder. Then he gripped the hilt with both hands and swung towards the duo, sending a flaming arc towards them. Weiss brought up a glyph to block it but it shattered, along with the glyph they were standing on.

"I got this!" Pyrrha charged towards the falling duo and jumped towards them. Ruby recovered and fired Crescent Rose to get away from Pyrrha but the Spartan threw her shield like a disc at her. Ruby blocked the shield but it threw her guard off and then Pyrrha threw Milo at her in spear form, catching Ruby right in the gut, sending her into the wall with a slam. Then Pyrrha tackled Weiss in midair after dodging her slower thrust and then she used her like a springboard and pushed off of her, sending her into the ground, hard as she landed on her feet in a perfect crouch, right where Milo and Akouo landed.

"And finished, Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are defeated. Miss Nikos and Mr. Legacy are the victors," Goodwitch called, followed by cheering from the entire room. Kamui smiled softly as he approached his partner and they butted their wrists together with a small clank from their armor hitting each other.

"Excellently done, Pyrrha," Kamui complimented as he allowed his sword to return to normal before he sheathed it.

"And you as well, Kamui. I guess it is true that together we make quite the dangerous pair," Pyrrha said. At that point Ruby and Weiss had managed to pull themselves out of the craters they made and wobble over to them.

"Did you have to hit me so hard?" Ruby asked, using Crescent Rose as a walking stick as she rubbed her stomach.

"It was a valuable training exercise, ow," Weiss tried to say properly but she had to rub her back.

"Sorry…" Kamui and Pyrrha both said, embarrassed.

"Excellent work all four of you. All of you have shown vast improvement in your skills and tactics. Mr. Legacy and Miss Nikos please try to show some restraint next time. Against lesser opponents you might have seriously hurt them," Goodwitch said but Kamui saw the traces of a smile on her face.

"It's a good thing we weren't facing lesser opponents then," Kamui added, followed by a sigh from his professor. Still he saw Weiss and Ruby beam from the praise.

"Indeed, very well then. I expect all four of you to make it far in the tournament when it comes," Goodwitch said.

"Yes ma'am," the four all said.

"I would call for another matchup but the arena has been damaged a bit, so I am ending class early today, be prepared for more rigorous training next time though! Remember the dance is this weekend and your first missions are on Monday!" Goodwitch announced to the entire class. Everyone gave a small cheer or a groan depending on the person. Kamui saw Yang wave them towards the door, they would meet them outside.

"Let's go, shall we?" Kamui asked as he wrapped an arm around Ruby for support. Ruby beamed at him and jumped onto his back, much to his amusement.

"Since you hurt me, you carry me!" Ruby commanded and he sighed but relented, she was light and he didn't really mind. Weiss huffed at them before she walked off, though she had a small limp that she was obviously trying to hide. They all made their way outside with no incident. Of course Kamui and Ruby got a few awws from the position they were in.

"You guys never take it easy do you?" Jaune asked followed by Yang patting him on the back a little too hard.

"Of course not!" she boasted.

"Quite the show, I can see why everyone says you're the best your year has to offer," a rather nonchalant voice cut in. Kamui turned to see three students approaching them, Haven students by their uniforms. One was a guy with silver hair and grey eyes, he walked with a confidence that wasn't uncommon in a lot of the boys around their age, what Yang might call a lady killer. Next to him was a girl with short mint green hair and red eyes; she seemed friendly enough as opposed to her companions and it went without saying that she was pretty.

It was their third member that made Kamui uneasy for some reason. She was a girl with long raven black hair that she had drape around her shoulder. Like the girl with the mint hair she was pretty or beautiful might have been more accurate perhaps. It was the way she smiled though that just caused Kamui's instincts to scream at him. Her eyes reminded Kamui of fire but instead of a smoldering orange her eyes were dark amber.

"Hey Emerald, hey Mercury!" Ruby waved from his back. The guy now named Mercury waved and Kamui assumed the girl with the mint colored hair was Emerald.

"We saw your match, quite a show," Mercury said casually.

"Yes, your skills were very impressive I could barely keep my eyes on you most of the time," Emerald complimented and Kamui felt Ruby bury her head into his shoulder, she was blushing no doubt. At that point though their third companion stepped forward, right to Kamui.

"Kamui, yes? I'm Cinder; I was very impressed by your performance today. We've been hearing about the young Rider of War's skills and leadership. Of course we hear about the young Reaper Prodigy too. You and your friends are causing quite the stir, it's said the other academies are tearing their hair out to bring something to challenge all of you," Cinder said kindly.

"Well met, I'd shake but I have my hands full," Kamui half-joked as he readjusted Ruby on his back, said girl slapped his shoulder even though she hit metal.

"Of course they would, Beacon only brings the best," Weiss affirmed.

"They talk about me too?" Jaune asked more himself than her.

"Indeed, well we should be getting to class now, hopefully we'll meet again," Cinder said as she walked by them, her two companions following after her and giving them small waves. Kamui narrowed his eyes at their backs as they left, something didn't feel right, Flora and Kaze always trained him to trust his instincts and they were screaming at him. His instincts never failed him before as much as it might infuriate those around him.

"That was a thing…" Yang commented. Everyone seemed to share the sentiment except for the more naïve ones but they dropped it.

"So did you guys go in there with the intent of blowing everything up?" Yang asked.

"We weren't trying to destroy the arena, unlike you, you barbarian. It's not our fault the arena was poorly made," Weiss said strictly. Everyone stared at her but she didn't falter at all.

"That arena was made to handle a bombing from several bullheads or warships…" Ren deadpanned.

"Yeah but you guys were all like woosh! Bam! Fire! And Weiss and Ruby were like Ahhh! No!" Nora exclaimed until Ren covered her mouth.

"We only made a few craters…from when Weiss and I got thrown into the wall or the ground…" Ruby offered as she hugged Kamui's back harder like she was trying to hide.

"And Kamui scorched the place…" Blake added tiredly, Kamui frowned when he saw that the Faunus had the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes.

"So you are awake!" Yang said joyfully as she wrapped an arm around her partner who looked quite annoyed.

"Hey Blake!" the group turned to see their friend, Sun Wukong with his usual grin. Kamui huffed slightly since he wasn't even subtle in his obvious attraction. He heard Ruby let out a sigh as well from his back. Kamui noted that Neptune and the rest of Sun's team were a little ways back, rooting for him no doubt. They were on a bit of a thin ice since while they were fighting a robot they were having noodles.

"Sun?" Blake asked tiredly as she wormed out of Yang's hold.

"Hey Blake, so I was wondering if you want to go to the dance with me this weekend?" Sun asked, nervously.

"What?" Blake asked like he insulted her. This wasn't going to end well for the poor monkey Faunus.

"I want you to go to the dance with me, only if you want to of course," Sun said kindly.

"I…I don't have time for a stupid dance, Sun. I thought you would understand me well enough to know that!" Blake snapped as she turned sharply and stormed off.

"Ouch…" Ruby whispered into his ear and Kamui nodded. Sun looked dejected, his shoulders slumping as he turned and sulked off, towards his team who started consoling him. Speaking of dance proposals, Kamui had to ask Ruby and soon.

"Oh boy…she really needs to go to the dance now," Yang sighed.

"Well first you'll have to convince her to," Ruby said as she hopped down from Kamui's back. Before they could talk more though the bell signaling one hour until class came through. Now that might have been a lot of time but their group was different.

"Scheme later, class now. I don't want to get in trouble again," Weiss pressed.

"Whatever I'll see you guys at lunch!" Yang waved off as she went off nonchalantly after Blake. Ren said a simple goodbye with a nod before he dragged a still gagged Nora off towards their class.

"We'll see you guys at lunch also," Pyrrha said with a smile as she ran after Ren and Nora.

"We're supposed to have battle tactics and history with Professor Goodwitch right?" Jaune asked as he started leading them towards their class.

"Yeah, all leaders have to take a tactics class, I don't know why it has to be mixed with history though…" Ruby sighed.

"Because there were many tactical geniuses and idiots in history. Like Grandmaster Robin of the Shepherds eons ago. He's still renowned for his tactical genius to this day for having such advanced tactics, which we incorporate today still," Weiss chided, followed by a groan from Ruby.

"Why do you have to make the one guy I remember, sound boring. Only you would volunteer for that class, Weiss," Ruby complained.

"You have to plan as well to become a great warrior, Little Reaper…especially because you're a leader," Kamui teased and he saw Ruby's cheeks flush.

"I prefer to let my beloved do the thinking but I know…the teachers make it sound so boring though…" Ruby sighed as she leaned on him, even though she was clearly not hurting anymore.

"Speaking of planning, how did you two make up that Ice Prison move?" Jaune asked, interested.

"It's a step up from our Ice Flower move. As you saw we trap our opponents with Ruby's shots, but the aura I pump into her bullets is like a seed with a small timer. It lulls the enemy into a false sense of security, chalking it off, thinking that Ruby has poor aim. Then the seed of aura I placed in the ice explodes making it form into that dome you saw. In that dome it starts to drain your aura and it can shield attacks from the inside!" Weiss said proudly.

"How long did it take you guys to perfect that?" Jaune asked. Kamui and Ruby shared a smile, it was good to see Jaune and Weiss on speaking terms at least. Jaune still had a hopeless crush but at least he stopped trying to flirt with her at every moment, Kamui hoped it was because he was starting to fall for Pyrrha. Weiss seemed to stop berating him as well, his combat ability was still a work in progress but his work in class rivaled her own. He was the only one out of the group whose test scores were on par with Weiss, Kamui and Pyrrha. Ruby claimed that Weiss still had a fantasy team, which the heiress never refuted until the reaper started crying.

"Shorter than you might think but it was definitely difficult to figure out how to make my aura react like that," Weiss said then she rounded on Kamui.

"Speaking of which, how did you create those flames? I don't recall your sword having dust in it and it changed shape," Weiss asked.

"My Yato has special properties that I never explained before. In it's normal state it is just a longsword. What you saw was it's shadow form, in that form it gives off the red glow you saw and it grows into more of a greatsword. It can also turn into a katana if I wish, which is my preferred form out of the two transformations since it is closer to it's normal state than the great sword. Except the shadow form allows further reach for my flames. It has other properties too but I can't share those with you yet," Kamui explained. These three were his partners, he could trust them. He believed he could anyway, Pyrrha had been advising him to talk to these three since they were his partners, Ruby especially.

"But how did you call those flames? Dust?" Weiss pressed and Ruby elbowed her side. Kamui chuckled at the heiress's embarrassment before he cleared his throat and led them along a certain path to a place he knew they could talk. He took them to the courtyard outside of the building their class was in, no one used it since there was no social media anything and it was out of the way since the building was on the edge of the campus, just grass, tress and a few benches. When he was sure they were alone he turned to them.

"I am going to tell you three a secret that I don't want anyone else finding out about without my consent, got it?" Kamui asked seriously. His three partners seemed a bit confused by his sudden change but they took it in stride.

"I promise and an Arc never breaks their promise," Jaune said loyally.

"I promise too!" Ruby added joyfully. Kamui smiled, Ruby had been waiting for him to open up to her a little more for awhile hadn't she?

"A Schnee never goes back on a contract…or a promise," Weiss said with a small smile.

"You can't even tell the others, except for Pyrrha, she knows already. The reason I'm going to share this with you three is because well, you're my partners, by technicality or not," Kamui added the last part for Weiss. It surprised him how easily she seemed to accept him as a partner. Technically through Ruby they were partners too. The same could be said for Pyrrha but they've been partners for years already. Perhaps Ruby had gotten to Weiss or maybe it was because she was still trying to live some sort of fantasy of having the strongest teammates. By technicality also that made Pyrrha her partner also, aristocrats loved technicalities after all.

"Thank you…" Weiss said softly in appreciation.

"Alright then, as long as you share with them too," Jaune said supportively.

"Yeah! You can count on us!" Ruby added joyfully as she grabbed his arm again, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Um…before you say anything…I want to tell you something Kamui…" Weiss said guiltily.

"Yes?" Kamui asked.

"My…father instructed me recently to inform him of any secrets you're holding…he wants the secrets of your family," Weiss said nervously. Kamui sighed, how typical though it was certainly something to be expected.

"Of course…everyone wants the secrets my family has…" Kamui said bitterly. There was a reason why all of the four didn't live in one place since they were children. Why they also have so many silent protectors who shadow them.

"Secrets?" Ruby asked.

"The Schnee's think that we have some new form of dust or a new way to refine it, we don't," Kamui sighed.

"Kamui, I won't sell you out, I promise! I won't betray a partner and a friend!" Weiss said quickly. Kamui looked at her for a few moments and smiled when he didn't see any indication of deceit.

"I mean it though…I don't want anyone to know about this without my consent…I shouldn't even be telling you anything at all either…" Kamui pressed again. They all steeled themselves and nodded before he sighed. He never thought he was going to do this but oh well.

"Those flames…as far as everyone is concerned it's dust, clear?" Kamui asked. They all nodded in understanding.

"Good…now those flames are my…semblance…" Kamui said softly. That certainly got everyone confused, Ruby looked like her brain was having a meltdown and Weiss was trying to see the logic there.

"So you have two?" Jaune asked innocently.

"No, nothing quite like that exactly…though I guess you could call it that to make it easier…" Kamui laughed.

"Then what was that space manipulation thing?" Weiss asked.

"That's the important part, space manipulation is something of a family trait that we all possesses in my family. It's real name is…dragon vein," Kamui said lowly.

"Dragon vein?" Ruby asked.

"It's an ancient ability that allows one to sort of…manipulate the world. It's very draining though, which is why I hate using it. It's not very useful in a duel except for short bursts," Kamui explained.

"Then why not use your flames?" Weiss asked.

"I was…but I had to use Dragon Vein when I saved Ruby from the Nevermore and I couldn't afford to have her asking too many questions if I used my flames later. Besides I always prefer my sword over my semblance. The other thing is that I can teach it to other people," Kamui said.

"So…that's neat…is that it? Because that's kind of easy to keep secret," Jaune said before Weiss slapped him.

"You dolt! Do you understand what he's saying?! He just said the ability could be taught! DO you know what would happen if people found that out?" Weiss demanded. Jaune just rubbed his head and stepped away from her.

"That's why I called you three here actually…I want to teach you three to use it," Kamui said softly with a smile. They all seemed rather surprised by that. Weiss looked like she just won the lottery, Jaune looked well…he was lost in his thoughts again and Ruby was the first one to jump in.

"Really?!" she asked, excited. Kamui chuckled at his crush's attitude before he reached into his belt to pull out three vials. They were simple vials with corks but it was the content that was important. The liquid inside of the vials was pitch black.

"Is that it? I thought you had to teach us?" Ruby asked, deflated.

"Well I do have to teach you three how to harness it, yes. This will allow you three to access it at all. I won't bother telling you what it is otherwise it'll be harder for you to drink it. Quickly now," Kamui held the vials out to them and they all took one.

"Ok!" Ruby was the first one to drink the contents of the vial without hesitation. She winced at the taste but she choked it down. Weiss and Jaune stared at her for a few moments but nothing happened. Jaune looked at Kamui but he held his hand up, telling him to wait.

"Wh-Whoa…" Ruby began to wobble a bit and Kamui caught her quickly. Her red aura began glowing around her and then after a few moments her aura faded and she bounced back up onto her feet.

"I feel great!" Ruby exclaimed, full of energy as always as she bounced around as if she was in a weapon gallery. Kamui chuckled slightly, there was another effect of the "potion" it also gave them power, not too much but just enough to be noticeable.

"Here goes nothing then…" Jaune uncorked his vial and Weiss did as well. They both nodded and drank theirs at the same time. Jaune almost coughed his up and even Weiss seemed to have trouble swallowing it. It wasn't the most…tasty thing in the world especially since they were chugging it.

"Oh boy…" Jaune groaned as he started swaying but he managed to stay standing. Weiss didn't make any sound aside from groans as she held one of her hands to her head. Weiss's icy blue aura began to show itself and Jaune's pure white aura showed as well. After a few moments their auras stopped glowing and they popped up like Ruby did.

"What was in that?" Jaune asked as he stared at his hands, no doubt he felt like he could wrestle an Ursa with his bare hands.

"Indeed…I feel…stronger…" Weiss said slowly. Kamui's eyes trailed up to the warships above, hoping to dear Oum they weren't listening in, no Ozpin wouldn't let them. Besides they were too far away to be listening in.

"Yeah, it does have an extra kick doesn't it? That serum you took is also a bit of a pick up, you'll find yourselves a little bit stronger now," Kamui explained.

"So…how do we use dragon vein?" Jaune asked.

"You have to concentrate first, you have to feel a pull, think of it like using your aura to take control of the space around you as if it was your body," Kamui explained. All three of them closed their eyes and focused, Jaune was the first one to show results. His white aura flared and the world around them changed, as it became his space. Unlike Kamui's, everything in his space was white and black. Except as soon as it came it receded and Jaune fell down to his knees. Kamui's eyes widened slightly in surprise, perhaps he was growing faster than he originally thought.

"That…was incredible…for a moment I thought everything was at my fingertips…wow you weren't kidding when you said it was draining…" Jaune panted as he stood up, shakily. Kamui smiled at him, as he looked at the other two, who hadn't broken concentration the whole time.

"You have to relax too, don't try to force it," Kamui spoke. Ruby seemed to hear him and she visibly relaxed her body and after a few moments her aura flared and her space was created. Her space was black and red and Kamui felt the pull of the gravity on him. Ruby opened her eyes to look at the space in wonder. Except after a few moments the space receded and she fell to her knees like Jaune.

"Oh…I feel sleepy now…" Ruby yawned. Kamui and Jaune shared a smile before Kamui went over and helped her up. He let her lean on him as he turned to Weiss who seemed quite frustrated. She was as stiff as a tree and she her expression was of sheer frustration or rage.

"Weiss! Don't force it too much! You have to relax, it's not the same as flowing your aura into your sword. Space is much harder to subjugate, you have to go about it differently, more like if it was your arm or leg," Kamui chided. Weiss heard him for sure, she relaxed sort of and her expression softened. She took a deep breath and then after at least a minute her aura flared just like Ruby and Jaune's. Her space warped the area around them like the others in a snowy white and blue area.

"Incredible…" Weiss said as she walked forward and spun around to look at the space around her.

"Wow…" Ruby sighed as she looked around, it certainty was a sight to behold, like they were standing in snow. Kamui timed it and a minute passed before everything receded and Weiss almost collapsed. She managed to hold herself standing by placing her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"Impressive, you were able to make it last a minute," Kamui complimented.

"It's an incredible ability, I don't see how it couldn't change a fight!" Weiss exclaimed. Kamui smiled softly at her resolve, he thought that too at first. He made sure Ruby could stand on her own before he moved so he was in front of them again.

"Yes, but look at yourselves…you're spent now. What if you couldn't deal enough damage, what if you had to fight more than one person? What if someone knew how to resist your pull?" Kamui asked.

Dragon Vein was a truly powerful technique but it was also a great weakness at the same time. The only reason he could use it with little affect was because he'd trained for years and even so he could only maintain it for five minutes at most, at normal power. His friends didn't have years to train before the tournament so he would dash those ideas now. At least he would make sure they wouldn't rely on it. He made the very same mistake at first, his brothers smacked that out of him though. He smiled at the idea that Ryoma would be proud that he was passing on the same teaching but it was tempered by the fact that he would be mad that he gave Dragon Vein to people out of their circle.

"It can be resisted?" Weiss asked, surprised.

"Yes, as powerful as it is, it would be easy to not notice it but there is one and I am not talking about how it drains you. You see it is possible to resist the ability if you coat yourself in your aura, similar to what Yang does with her semblance. Of course it's not a total counter because you're still affected and they would be draining themselves as well. The bottom line is that it comes down to aura reserves and aura control, the first one who falters loses. Still I would advise not using Dragon Vein in actual combat unless it's absolutely necessary or if you have your teams to back you up," Kamui explained. They all took what he said to heart and he nodded before he cleared his throat.

"Now then, Jaune you were able to activate it first but you used to much of your aura even though you have more aura than any of us here. Learn proper aura control and you can make it last longer. Ruby your call was fast enough and it lasted longer than Jaune's but it felt like you were having trouble controlling the space effectively, I felt the gravity shift in there. You need to learn how to control your space more effectively and work from there. Weiss your control was superb as always, your control of your space was flawless and it even lasted quite some time. However you struggled the most to call upon it, too long, your opponent will have already struck you if you take that long. Weiss, you have to learn to call upon the power more quickly otherwise your control is meaningless," Kamui critiqued.

"Of course! I'll make sure I master this new power next time you ask!" Weiss proclaimed, being the diligent warrior she always is.

"Hey! If I get stronger from this, do you think you'll say yes to a date, Weiss? Oh I know! How about if you accompany me to the dance?" Jaune asked and Kamui resisted the urge to smack him. Weiss did it for him, slapping the back of the poor blonde's head with a loud clap.

"You dunce…I already said no…thank you Kamui, I won't misuse your trust," Weiss said as she checked her scroll, she sighed softly before she put it away.

"I should get to class, I'll hold our seats as usual, I need to prepare for my partner," Weiss said as she glanced at Ruby who gave off a small "Hey!". Weiss actually smiled a little before she gave Kamui a small bow.

"Thank you, Kamui," she said as she hurriedly left. Kamui checked his scroll and saw that they still had half an hour left, maybe she just wanted to get away from Jaune? Probably.

"I'm going to head off too, I promised Professor Goodwitch I would get there early to help her out with some…paperwork…thanks again for the help, Kamui. I'll be sure to practice, I promise. Pyrrha will be in for a surprise!" Jaune said proudly as he walked off after Weiss. Kamui chuckled softly since Jaune hadn't figured out that Pyrrha not only knew how to resist Dragon Vein, she held it too.

"We still have half an hour till we have to be in class and I don't remember Jaune saying anything about helping Goodwitch do you?" Ruby asked. Kamui shrugged but his scroll buzzed and he looked at it to see a message from both Weiss and Jaune. He opened the messages and he blushed when he read them. They both said "Ask Ruby to the dance!". He groaned in annoyance but he looked around the area to see it completely empty still, wait a moment…

For just a moment he saw something move in the edge of his vision, he caught the sight of green hair and he chuckled slightly. Kaze was around, which meant Selkie and Velouria were around too…his sister must be around then. Kaze and the others wouldn't be spying on him and no doubt directing people away from him if she wasn't. Well at least not in this manner. Camilla was always obsessed with getting him a girlfriend after all…Kamui silently praised Kaze for being about to handle his sister's…overbearing yet formidable attitude. Still this time he appreciated the security…

"Hey um…Ruby…so the dance is coming up this weekend…" Kamui said awkwardly as he faced her. Ruby seemed to catch on to what was going on since she blushed and started fumbling with her hood. Her cute response was not helping him find his nerves.

"Come on…you've faced Grimm, monsters and madmen without flinching but you can't just tell her how you feel?!" Kamui cursed out. He sighed as he gathered himself together.

The past months had been the best he could ask for, he got friends and respect through his actions not because of his family name. Ruby was the one that came higher than the rest, she was there for him whenever he needed her. She was the only one who could really keep up with his training regiment as well, thanks to her semblance. Except their bond had only grown since he shared his pictures with her, especially the one he found of her mother holding her. He could always share his troubles with her, even about his siblings, which he didn't share with anyone else besides Pyrrha yet still. He told her about how he and his siblings cared for each other but their ideals clashed a lot. Yes he could trust her with his secret, just her for now to sooth his heart, she accepted Blake and Penny without much issue after all, this should be the same.

"Well I want you to go to the dance with me…as your…date…" Kamui asked cautiously. Ruby stiffened at his question and he felt his heart start to crack a little, did he say something wrong?

"YES!" Ruby cried as she glomped him. Kamui grunted as she crashed against him in a tight hug but he quickly wrapped his around her and spun her around in the air, he was too happy to care about little else!

"I would be happy to let you take me to the dance! Does this mean we're dating now?" Ruby cried as she hugged him tightly even after Kamui set her down, well not really, she was kind of hanging on him with her arms around his neck. Kamui was content to hug her till the world ended and he would have said yes to her last question but still…there was something else he had to tell her…

"Ruby…can you let go, I have to tell you something first…" Kamui said nervously. Ruby released him from her hug and he placed her down on the ground gently but she held his hands in her own as she stared up at him with worried eyes.

"Is something wrong? Do you not want me to be your girlfriend?" Ruby asked, her eyes starting to water.

"No! That's not it Ruby! I would love to be your boyfriend…I'm sorry I've never done this before…that's not the issue though…" Kamui said quickly. Ruby's tears didn't fall thankfully but she looked even more worried now. He couldn't talk though, he didn't know how to say it. Plus his brothers would get on his case like he started the plague if he told her. Ruby sensed his distress though and reached up to place one of her hands on his cheek.

"Kamui…these past few months have been like a fairy tale to me…I never thought I would be able to make any friends besides my sister, much less lead my own team. But I have done both of those things and I had the honor of meeting you. You were like a prince out of a storybook…but you turned out to be more than that. I can see that you are really trying to make a difference and well…I want to help you. I want to be able to help you through everything like you've tried to help me, I don't care what secret you're hiding unless you're secretly planning to destroy all cookies in the world…" Ruby said lovingly. Kamui actually laughed at the last part of her speech but he was very touched by what she said.

"I really do like you, Kamui…and I know you like me too…" Ruby said cutely as she gazed at him lovingly. Kamui couldn't resist, he had to tell her the truth, consequences be damned. He trusted this girl with his life, she deserved the truth from him especially when she poured her heart out to him.

"Ruby…I…tell me what do you know of the Nephilim?" Kamui asked cautiously. Ruby paused at that and it took a few moments for her to collect herself.

"I don't hear much about them really…only fairy tales really, some of my favorite ones actually. They were said to be the guardians of Remnant, they were heroes said to be descendant from angels and humans. They got all the pros of their parents and very few of the cons. They were supposed to be the ones who raised humanity and the Faunus up to new heights. My favorite story is the story of the Great Exalt who defeated the Fell Dragon Grima," Ruby said thoughtfully and Kamui winced slightly. So it was as bad as he had feared, the knowledge was all but gone to the rest of the world. Well…no use holding it off now…

"What…if I told you that all those fairy tales were true, at least their main ideas were? And that the Nephilim were not just real but they're still alive today?" Kamui asked cautiously. Ruby's eyes widened at his declaration but she looked more in awe than scared or worse, disbelief.

"Well…the logical side of my mind wants to say that you're lying and that Nephilim were just made up heroes for children…but to be honest after meeting Penny and Nyx I don't find it impossible. Plus…one of the few things I remember of my mother was that she...said they were real also…" Ruby said softly. Kamui felt his heart warm up instantly, she was taking it relatively well or at least he thought so, no he couldn't think about the negative now!

"I can see that actually, especially since they said dragons weren't real but you have one as a partner…so…what? Do you know a Nephilim? What are they like? Are they super cool? Are they really seven feet tall and super strong? Do they have wings?" Ruby started talking faster towards the end as her excitement picked up.

"Yes I know a few…but it's more than that too…I…I…I am Nephilim, Ruby," Kamui said nervously. There his big secret was out now, the biggest secret the Legacies held dear to their hearts for eons. Kamui could just hear Takumi yelling at him already about how reckless his decision was, too bad it was overshadowed by his fear of how Ruby would react.

"That's…That's…SO COOL!" Ruby exclaimed as she held his hands tighter and hopped up an down a bit like someone just gave her cookies with extra sugar. Kamui blushed at her obvious enthusiasm and the way she held his hands, she was looking at him like he was some kind of gem, something that never happened before. Her eyes were full of stars like he just showed her a scythe that could turn into a car.

"You…you're taking this well…" Kamui said, dumbfounded. Ruby calmed down finally before she composed herself but the stars in her eyes didn't leave.

"How could I not? Who else can claim that her boyfriend is an angel?" Ruby asked lovingly as she hugged him warmly. Kamui blushed, hard from the way she spoke to him, the words were so affectionate and wait…

"Angel?" Kamui asked, confused.

"Yeah! Aren't you part angel?" Ruby asked.

"Um…well you know the Nephilim are from fallen angels right? Or in other terms…demons…" Kamui muttered a little shamefully. Ruby looked confused and she reached up to touch his cheek again.

"Fallen or not, they're still angels to me…I mean they gave me you…" Ruby said lovingly and Kamui felt his face heat up even more if that was possible. He smiled at her though and pulled her tighter against him. Yes, he found someone he could trust definitely. He pulled her away from him though, which made her whine a little in protest but he held her back.

"Sorry…one more thing…" he said softly. Ruby pouted but she didn't try to hug him when he let her go. He took a few steps away from her and checked their surroundings again. He didn't sense anyone around and he was sure Kaze and the others would have kicked them out anyway. He looked up at the Atlas ship and smiled when he didn't see any ships above them now, he could do it.

"My…outbursts are more than just growth of my powers. It's the beginning of my maturity as I become more in sync with my…true self…It will be much easier to show you what I mean though…" Kamui said softly as he took a deep breath. The stone around his neck began glowing as his black aura became visible and started swirling around him like a vortex. He saw Ruby take a step back in surprise before his aura blocked his vision. The transformation stung slightly as his body changed but he didn't even wince as his body adjusted itself. He felt the weight of the armor around him settle. It was almost effortless to call upon it now, with his stone's help of course. When his aura veil faded and he was revealed to her fully her eyes widened in shock.

"This is my…true state as a Nephilim," Kamui spoke in his morphed voice, it didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth anymore. He was a lot taller than Ruby now in this form, he had to look down towards her more noticeably now. Thankfully his transformation only made him go a bit above Jaune's height otherwise it would be awkward. Still he was still growing after all. He was Rider of War, he was supposed to be big. He hoped Ruby would grow at some point, otherwise it would be really awkward.

"You look…cool…" Ruby said slowly as she reached out towards him. He didn't back away and let her hand run along his armored form. He watched her face carefully to see if she would grow disgusted but she didn't. She still looked enamored like she was looking at something out of a story, well it probably helped that she knew it was him.

"Here…my…face doesn't quite look the same..." Kamui spoke softly as he reached up to undo his helmet. Ruby watched him as he carefully undid the straps to his helmet and he pulled it off slowly, revealing his face to her.

 **Ruby's POV**

"Oh…" Ruby stared in wonder at her new boyfriend. His face was definitely the same at least base wise but she understood what he meant the moment she saw him. His skin had turned a very deathly pale and some of the veins in his face she could see through his skin and they were a black color, they weren't poking through the skin they were showing through his skin like they were glowing almost, if black could glow. His eyes were the most beckoning trait though. His smoldering irises actually looked like they were smoldering now and his sclera had turned to a black color as well. Certainly he would be scary if he was angry but Ruby didn't see that, she saw a boy who was nervous about how she perceived him.

Ruby felt a little angry at the thought of how people would no doubt ostracize Kamui if they saw him like this. It made sense to her now why he would be so protective of this secret, why he always ran off whenever he had an outburst. Why he was so adamant at not letting anyone see him when he did. Ruby felt sad for him, it was similar to how Blake and Penny had been. Afraid of what would happen if the secret about them were found out. Ruby decided right there that she would be the one to open his heart, especially if she was to be his girlfriend. Ruby shuddered at the thought of how her sister would squeal but she shook it off. She reached up towards Kamui's face and touched it, a little surprised by how cold he was.

"You look like a hero…" she whispered. Then she leaned up on her tiptoes towards him and he leaned down to meet her halfway. Ruby leaned in cautiously as she wrapped her other arm around his neck. Then delicately her lips met his in a gentle kiss.

 **Later**

"Oh my god! So cute! Little Ruby has her first boyfriend!" Yang gushed as she swung Ruby around like a ragdoll. Ruby was blushing as red as her hood as she fought her sister to let her go.

"Let me go!" Ruby shouted as she jabbed her fingers into her sister's side. The action made her sister drop her and she quickly sped over to her new boyfriend and hid behind him. They were at the cafeteria now, their time at tactics class went by with little to no incident besides the looks they got from Weiss and Jaune. The little sneaks must have planned it. Their time together at their next class, weapon mechanics went by without incident too since it was just the two of them. They enjoyed their new found affection for each other in relative private. Except now they were at the end of the day, getting dinner where everyone had gathered together…which meant Yang saw them walk in holding hands.

"Protect me! She's trying to suffocate me!" Ruby demanded and Kamui chuckled slightly but he stopped when the sound of Ember Celica cocking. Ruby peeked out to see that Yang had one of her gauntlets raised at Kamui's face. He was tense as usual but he didn't flinch. Ruby went to her sister and wrenched on her arm though.

"Sis!" Ruby chided but Yang shook her off.

"You, better not hurt her am I understood, Kamui?" Yang said icily as her eyes flickered red. Kamui's eyes narrowed slightly as he pushed her gauntlet out of his face.

"I wouldn't dream of it…" Kamui said sincerely. Yang seemed to accept that since she let her gauntlets turn back to her bracelets before she pulled them both into a hug.

"Great! Welcome to the family, Kamui! Oh so um my Bumblebee is in need of an upgrade and I kind of don't have the lien to cover it yet so could you um…help me out?" Yang asked innocently. Kamui gave her an amused look but Ruby quickly pushed her away from them and held his arm protectively.

"Yang! Don't scare him off!" Ruby pleaded. That just produced another laugh from Kamui though. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him and she felt her face heat up so much she felt like she would faint.

"Don't worry, with my family I think I am used to this, besides I've known her for months now," Kamui sighed. Ruby didn't care how embarrassed she was or the fact that Yang and the others were snapping pictures of them. Well maybe she did care but that wasn't the point. She just liked being held by him, it felt even better now that they were together, they were together right? Of course they were, how did relationships even work?

"Kamui, you are taking my sister to the dance right?" Yang asked, Ruby couldn't tell if she was trying to sound threatening or excited.

"Of course, I am, why wouldn't I?" Kamui asked, surprised. Yang squealed again and Weiss brightened up. Ruby paled, her sister only did that when…

"That means we have to go shopping! We need to get her a dress!" Yang gushed.

"What?! Why can't I just go with this?" Ruby asked as she motioned towards her current attire. Yang yanked her away from her spot with Kamui and hugged her again.

"Oh sweet Ruby, you poor innocent soul. Don't worry, I'll be sure to find you something that'll make Kamui's blood run! Then you'll know what I mean!" Yang proclaimed and Ruby blushed. She wasn't that innocent!

"Weiss, Blake! We have to take my sister on a shopping trip!" Yang proclaimed.

"Wonderful! I've been waiting to go find some new shows and I'll make sure I find Ruby the shoes she needs!" Weiss promised and Ruby paled, no not high heels!

"Kamui, what color will you be wearing?" Yang asked.

"I'll be wearing a black suit with white detailing or red if you want," Kamui said and Ruby wanted to yell at him not to encourage them.

"Oh go with the white detailing! Ruby we're going to find you a dress if it kill you!" Yang shouted. Ruby noticed that Blake had walked off though during their talk, Ruby wanted to go after her since she knew she was running herself dry but well she had other issues, like trying not to be stuck with high heels! She'd die in embarrassment if she stepped on her date's toes!

"Speaking of dates, did the rest of you guys get dates?" Weiss asked.

"Nah, no guy could handle me anyway," Yang said offhanded, Ruby felt a little better, she could rub it in her sister's face that she got a date while she didn't.

"Blake…well I'll go talk with her about it later. She'll be going to the dance though don't worry," Yang said.

"Renny and I are going together!" Nora exclaimed and Ren quickly muffled her, looking embarrassed. Jaune held up a rose, offering it to Weiss but she promptly turned her head from him sharply, slapping his face with her ponytail. The blonde's shoulders slumped in defeat and Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder supportively. When would that boy take the hint already? Also where was everyone? The entire cafeteria was empty…was everyone still scared of them because of the food fight incident?

"Great so I'll go talk to Blake and then we're off to go shop! Kamui, you're going to have a ton of new pictures for your book I hope you have space!" Yang cut in. Ruby groaned in defeat since she was going to be dragged along kicking and screaming despite what she said, Yang would do it too. Except before anything else could happen there was a loud crash as the doors to the cafeteria were thrown open.

"Where's my favorite little brother!" a feminine voice exclaimed voice dripping with affection, the overbearing kind. Ruby saw Kamui flinch slightly and he groaned. Their eyes all went towards the door and Ruby's eyes widened, she was pretty sure everyone else was in a similar state as well.

At the door was four people. Three of them Ruby recognized as the three people she met at the docks. It was the fourth that everyone was drawn to though. She was a woman who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties, aura immortality had been nice to her obviously or maybe not. She was tall, like around Jaune's height. She had long purple hair combed down in a style that covered one of her eyes slightly. Her eyes were a lovely purple that complimented her greatly, the other thing was that she was very endowed, even more than Yang, which Ruby thought was impossible. She was dressed up in black armor over what must have been a skimpy dress since she still showed a lot cleavage; at least everything below the waist was covered adequately. She had an axe on her back that looked very wicked, the blade was black and the edge was red like it was permanently coated in blood. She was gorgeous and dangerous to put it lightly. She was beaming at them or Kamui to be exact.

"Kami!" she exclaimed joyfully as she ran up to them. Ruby scrambled out of the way with her sister and the rest of their friends. Kamui sighed but he held his arms out to her.

"Camilla!" Kamui greeted with a resigned smile. Camilla immediately pulled him into a full hug, smothering him against her chest. Ruby winced, she never thought she would meet someone more overbearing than her sister. So that's what he meant when he said that. Though he did manage to take it better than Ruby would since he actually lifted her off the ground as they hugged.

"It's so good to see you! Felica never tells me anything about you! She only says that you're doing fine! Is she treating you well, you didn't get scraped or anything did you?! I haven't heard about you in months!" Camilla exclaimed as she held her brother out as she looked him over as if he was hiding some kind of an injury from her. Kamui looked annoyed but he did actually look very happy. Ruby remembered him telling her that as siblings they were fine but as people of the world they were at conflict.

"Camilla! Felica hasn't been watching me for months now, I've been at Beacon for those months remember? You should be bugging Professor Goodwitch or Ozpin for details," Kamui chuckled as he batted her hands away.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Kami, it's just that you're growing up too fast!" Camilla gushed as she hugged him again. If she wasn't his sister Ruby would probably be jealous.

"Milady, you're embarrassing his Lordship again," Kaze commented as he and the two girls following him approached. Camilla let go of Kamui and went over to Kaze and pressed herself against his arm. The calm and refined man blushed slightly at the gesture and his two companions giggled slightly.

"Aww…you're still calling me Milady. I told you lover that you don't have to call me that, you're my husband after all…" Camilla said kindly as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Kaze looked rather uncomfortable now but also pleased at the same time.

"Hello again Kaze, thank you by the way. Selkie, Velouria its good to see you too," Kamui said and the two girls immediately glomped him like he was a teddy bear. Ok now Ruby was feeling jealous, her eyes narrowed at the two who were being a little too familiar with Kamui.

"It's so good to see you again, Kamui!" Velouria greeted, though she at least let go of Kamui after her hug, Selkie seemed intent to keep hugging him. Ruby wondered if steam was coming out of her ears. Kamui wasn't even trying to separate himself from her! It didn't help that Selkie was the girl who threatened her either. That wouldn't do at all!

"Hmph!" Ruby stormed over and practically yanked her away from Kamui and then she attached herself to his arm. She didn't care if Yang and Weiss made awing sounds and faces.

"Heh…right…Selkie, Velouria this is Ruby Rose, she's one of my partners…and my uh girlfriend…" Kamui explained shyly. The two girls looked like they were more in shock than anything. Then they started smiling and Ruby suddenly felt like she just unleashed some kind of beast. Except it wasn't the one she thought it would be.

"So cute! Why didn't you tell me about her Kami!" Camilla was suddenly in front of them again. Ruby clutched onto her boyfriend tightly, in fear so she wouldn't be wrenched from him again.

"Camilla! Don't scare her!" Kamui chided. Camilla pouted but then her eyes narrowed at Ruby. She crossed her arms and leaned down towards her so her face was at her level.

"Hm…so you're the one that has taken my brother's heart…I trust you will not abuse the trust he has placed in you…am I clear…" Camilla asked. Ruby paled a little since she really did understand. She must know that Kamui shared his secret about what he is with her.

"Of course I won't…" Ruby said and Kamui actually placed his hand on Camilla's shoulder and pushed her back slightly.

"I trust her, Camilla," Kamui said softly. Camilla gave Ruby another look and then Ruby thought she saw recognition in her eyes before she sighed.

"If only you could have just gotten with Azura like we wanted…then we wouldn't have this problem…oh well, I'm not one to question one's heart," Camilla sighed. Ruby felt Kamui tense at the mention of that name. Wait wasn't Azura the name of that famous songstress from Mistral? And did Camilla just say they were trying to get them together? Ruby tightened her hold on Kamui's arm at that thought.

"Azura…has other suitors…now is anyone else around that I should know about so I know to be more on alert?" Kamui asked. Ruby let her hand dip to hold his and he squeezed her hand back.

"Azura is around, though she couldn't come to see you unfortunately since she has to practice for the dance. Flora, Jakob and Felica are coming around later. Inigo and Soleil are in the town. I think Sophie, Odin, Nina and Ophelia are running theatrics somewhere. Everyone else is probably going to pop out somewhere before the tournament. Oh the kids are around too, I brought them here!" Camilla explained.

"Uh…where?" Kamui asked and Ruby heard a certain angry edge in his tone. Camilla looked around then she chuckled in an embarrassed manner like she did something wrong.

"Uh…they're probably with…Ophelia…uh now then introduce us to your other friends!" Camilla pressed. Ruby looked up at Kamui who looked like he was getting a giant headache. He sighed and went over to his friends, Ruby didn't release him from her hold though. He motioned to JNPR with a sigh.

"Right…fine…You all already know Pyrrha. The blonde knight is Jaune Arc, he's her partner as well as my own. Then these two here are Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, they're Team JNPR and Jaune is the leader," Kamui introduced. Then he motioned towards the rest of Ruby's team.

"These three are part of Ruby's team. I'm pretty sure you guys recognize Weiss Schnee, she's Ruby's partner. The blonde is Yang Xiao Long, she's Ruby's sister and the silent girl is Blake Belladonna, Yang's partner," Kamui introduced.

"Pyrrha, it's wonderful to see you again darling, I'm so sorry I didn't notice you sooner!" Camilla gushed as she gave Pyrrha a hug similar to the one she gave Kamui.

"It's good to see you too Lady Camilla…" Pyrrha gasped when she was released from her hug. Kamui chuckled slightly before he held a hand out to his sister and her companions.

"This beautiful lady is my older sister, Shira or Camilla if she lets you. You guys probably remember Kaze, Velouria and Selkie. Oh and Kaze is Camilla's husband," Kamui summarized. Then he smacked Jaune who was staring agape at his sister.

"Greetings…" Kaze just nodded to them though Ruby saw him glaring slightly at Jaune.

"It's nice to meet all of you!" Selkie gave them a small bow and Yang's eyes flickered red.

"Hey…weren't you the girl that threatened my sister?" Yang asked. Selkie looked like she was thinking for a moment before she chuckled nervously.

"She was never in danger, she was just trying to protect Lord Kamui and all of you as well," Velouria intervened quickly as she got in front of Yang before she walked up to Selkie.

"Yeah? Well how would I know? It's hard to tell when your sister is being threatened…" Yang growled.

"I was never going to hurt her, Yang was it? Surely Lord Kamui has explained this to you already?" Selkie asked though she seemed to be getting a little defensive. Yang looked like she was going to retort but Blake and Weiss pulled her back. Wait when did Blake come back? Ruby blinked since she didn't realize that Blake had walked back in during their introductions.

"It's nice to meet you! Um we were just going to uh leave…we were going shopping!" Weiss cut in as she and Blake forced Yang back towards the door. No doubt they wanted to get the hell away, she sounded crazy!

"Oh really? That sounds grand! I'll go with you! I still need a dress for the dance anyway!" Camilla said. Ruby's eyes widened as she was wrenched from Kamui's side by his sister. She looked towards Kamui pleadingly but he just shrugged in an embarrassed manner as she was dragged off by Camilla after her team.

"Now then, we'll be getting to know each other very well on this little trip won't we? Oh and I'll be getting to know your team very well too! I have to make sure none of you are taking advance of my sweet little brother," Camilla said sweetly with a fake smile that Ruby would learn to dread. Now she understood one thing, she now understood the wrath of a protective older sister. She would never downplay Yang's actions again.

 **Jaune's POV**

Jaune grunted as he locked blades with Pyrrha again. His eyes locked on her green ones, which held great amusement in them. He returned it as he pulled back from their lock and made an overhead slash towards her head. She moved to block it but at the last moment he twirled his sword to strike her other side. Of course she deflected the feint easily. Then she tried to catch his side but he twisted to the side, dodging it as he brought his sword to bear towards her leg. Of course it didn't work though. She stopped his strike with her own sword but before he could move she grabbed his wrist and tugged him forward and then he felt the tip of her sword hit his aura against his neck.

"Sorry Jaune…" Pyrrha said slyly, she had a bright smile on her face though. Jaune blushed slightly since their faces were not very far apart. Jaune's gaze averted itself as he felt his heartbeat pick up. He'd been feeling this way around Pyrrha a lot ever since their mission in Vale. His heartbeat always picked up and he would always feel embarrassed, more than usual anyway. He also found himself growing more and more fed up with Weiss's treatment of him lately. Especially after she refuted him not twice but three times that day! He even tried to serenade her and she just slammed a door in his face!

"Yeah…yeah…" Jaune grumbled as he freed himself from her hold. He lasted at least five seconds longer that time.

"Sorry, I have to push you a little harder now. The tournament is coming up and Kamui asked me to push you as if he was here. It was either this or help him try to track down his nieces and nephews and believe me, I don't want to know what kind of trouble they got into or hear Kamui shout. Going shopping with Lady Camilla and the others would be even worse, poor Ruby," Pyrrha expressed. Jaune sighed softly, of course…she treated this more like a chore than her actually wanting to do it. She just didn't want to have a leader who was worthless…

"Hey, don't take it like that! I love spending time with you!" Pyrrha appeased quickly. Jaune smiled at her words, of course what was he thinking, Pyrrha was above feeling like that.

"Let's try one more then," Jaune said as he lifted his sword into both his hands. He took a deep breath as he lifted his sword, calling on his aura to flow into his hands and feet.

"Very well…" Pyrrha said with a smile as she lifted her own sword. She held it out towards him as she stepped closer to him, slowly. Jaune's eyes narrowed as she closed in, she usually went for bait when she did this. He had his own plan to deal with this though, thanks to Kamui. He just hoped it would last long enough for him to get something in. If he was correct, then Pyrrha would know how to counter it with her aura, he just had to hope he would catch her by surprise.

Jaune brought his sword up and slashed her blade away and she took a step back and used the momentum to bring her sword back for a thrust. Jaune stepped to the side and slashed down at her sword, knocking it down. Then he closed in on her for a slash but she easily brought her sword back up for the block. He pushed his sword in though and caught her blade on his guard and tugged it away so he could drive in for a thrust of his own but Pyrrha just twisted out of the way. He caught her smile though as he did. She slashed at his flank and he barely moved his sword to block it. Unfortunately the force of the strike staggered him and sent his sword away from him. Then Pyrrha drove her sword home towards his chest.

"Now!" Jaune called upon the feeling he felt when he used Dragon Vein earlier, taking advantage of the fact that he could draw it fast. It did not disappoint, his aura flared as his space was created. He saw Pyrrha's eyes widen as she was caught in the move. Jaune reacted quickly and forced gravity down on her and she almost buckled. Then he kicked her in the chest sending her back. He would apologize later, he got a hit though! He moved in quickly to finish it but before he could he saw her red aura flare and then she was just gone. His eyes widened as he now felt a pressure on his aura like someone was trying to wrench control away from him!

"Nice try Jaune…" no sooner than those words were uttered Jaune was knocked onto his stomach. His space faded when he hit the ground as it now turned from black and white to red and gold. Then he felt a small pressure on his back and a point touch the back of his neck.

"I didn't expect that…" Pyrrha said as everything faded away. Jaune groaned as he rolled onto his back to stare up at a slightly winded Pyrrha. She had a bright smile on her face though as she gazed down at him.

"I didn't think Kamui would open that up to you so soon. He must care for you more than I thought," Pyrrha said as she offered him her hand. Jaune took her hand gratefully as he stood up tiredly. Boy was Kamui not kidding when he said that it took a lot out of you. He felt like he could fall asleep standing if he wanted to.

"Yeah…Oum he wasn't kidding about the draining part of it though…" Jaune groaned as he stretched his limbs. Pyrrha gave off a joyful laugh and Jaune blushed a little at the sound of her laugh.

"Why do you think he dislikes using it? The only reason he can use it so long is because he's been using it for years, we don't really have that time though," Pyrrha sighed.

"I had a feeling that you would have it too," Jaune said with a tired laugh.

"I haven't had it for that long really. I've only had it for a year actually, Kamui got in a lot of trouble for that too. I imagine he shared it with Ruby and Weiss as well?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune just nodded and Pyrrha seemed to smile more.

"That's good, he's learning to trust you guys more then," Pyrrha beamed as she hugged him. Jaune practically froze up at that gesture even though it only lasted a few seconds and if he was paying attention he would have seen that she was blushing worse than he was.

"I think he trusts Ruby a lot more though," Jaune noted and they both ended up laughing.

"Indeed…yes, it's good that he has. I'm also glad that Ruby proved to be as good as I hoped, they'll be cute at the dance," Pyrrha said softly. She seemed down about it though, Jaune knew that Pyrrha and Kamui were basically like brother and sister so it couldn't be that she was jealous was she?

"Speaking of the dance, did anyone ask you yet? I bet hundreds of boys and some girls asked you," Jaune half-joked. He actually felt a little sad about that since his luck in that department practically…well it sucked. Everyone else had a date or could have easily gotten one. Yang probably got asked out as much as Pyrrha did. Blake had Sun even if she refuted him, Jaune heard that Yang convinced her to accept him. Jaune felt happy for them, Blake needed happiness in her life and Sun was definitely one who could deliver it. Kamui and Ruby were going together and they were dating now too, the cutest couple he had ever seen. Weiss had asked out Neptune no doubt as much as it broke Jaune's heart he couldn't compete with Neptune…he was too cool. Then of course Ren and Nora were going together, even if it was just as friends.

"Oh well…no one actually asked me…" Pyrrha said sadly. Jaune's eyes widened at her, it couldn't be true right? She was Pyrrha Nikos for crying out loud! He saw Yang getting asked out at every corner, how did Pyrrha never get any of that?!

"What?! You're Pyrrha Nikos! How could no one ask you out? You're amazing!" Jaune exclaimed, if no one thought she was pretty he would go kick the hell out of them. He didn't care if he got his butt kicked, he would try!

"That's exactly why I didn't get asked…everyone thinks I'm too good for them, no one has the courage to ask me. Kamui might have asked me to go with him as a friend but well…he has Ruby to take, bless her heart she wasn't afraid of his name," Pyrrha said sadly.

"I…didn't think about it like that Pyrrha…I guess I was too busy dealing with my dance problems…Weiss refused me three times and well…I guess I just never saw that you were having problems too…" Jaune said pathetically. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him a little. He didn't shy away from her touch though.

"I know…Weiss doesn't know what she's missing out on. There are plenty of fish out in the sea though, Jaune so don't forget that," Pyrrha said as she parted from him. Jaune watched her go sadly.

"Since we both expended much of our energy we'll have to save it for tomorrow," Pyrrha called back as she made her way to the stairs. She looked so sad though that Jaune had to do something.

"Wait Pyrrha!" Jaune called as he staggered after her. She turned to him in surprise as he took on of her hands. He smiled at her, he wouldn't let her be alone at the dance. He wasn't sure of what he was feeling but he knew that he couldn't let her suffer.

"Would you like to accompany me to the dance?"


	10. Dance and Hidden

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem or the songs in this chapter

Alright here's another chapter for you all, once again it turned out way longer than I anticipated. I had no idea all these parts would come out so long. Anyway here's the dance chapter, I hope you guys like it, a lot of potential for sweet moments here. It's my first time trying to incorporate a song into a story like this, but I just felt like it had to be in here. I am very sorry for everyone that was hoping for some big Arkos event in this chapter, though I did get a small scene for them in. I am doing my best but well I just feel like I'm having a hard time with those two even though I get how their dynamic works. I wanted to put a bigger scene with them in the dance but it just wasn't going to feel very fluid with the flow of everything. On another note, I have two questions for my loyal readers or people who just decided to walk in.

First off I have been trying to come up with a name for the entire group but well its kind of hard since I have to use the first letter of their names. I'm asking you guys if you can come up with a name or acronym using RWBY JNPR and K. I don't care what order the letters are in at this point, I just want a cool sounding name, nothing inappropriate please.

Now this is a bit of a bigger question, concerning story. I'm getting close to season 3 territory and by that extension I am getting to the tournament. The issue is that Kamui doesn't have an official team technically and the first two rounds of the tournament are team based. I have a few options but I want to ask you guys what you think. The first option is that Kamui one man armies it, which isn't my preferred option, I feel like I've made him look too strong already. Second option, which will be weird but has the most potential to be interesting; RWBY and JNPR volunteer some of their members to work with him or his official or extension partners work with him. The third option is the simplest, I pick some of the Fates characters like Azura to be his temporary team for the tournament. By default I would like to do the second option since I've been going with idea that he works with RWBY and JNPR through this whole story, but I would like to know what you guys think. PM me or Review me for what you want, or just tell me what you think of the story as a whole! Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Dance and Hidden

 **Ruby's POV**

"How do I look?" Ruby asked as she came out of the bathroom, dressed up in the outfit her friends picked out for her. She was wearing a blood red strapless dress with some black lace covering at her shoulders. It embarrassed her a little, she would have preferred something a little longer but Yang demanded it. A black sash tied down her dress and unfortunately they got her into stilts. They claimed that she could put guns in them like one of her favorite game characters but they lied!

"You look adorable!" Yang shouted as she scooped her up in a hug. Her sister was wearing an elegant white dress that left little to the imagination but still held true to the standards the school put in place, thank Oum. It was the day of the dance and Ruby would be damned if it was messed up because her sister couldn't be conservative enough!

"I hate stilts! How does Weiss move in these?" Ruby complained, her feet already felt sore from the angle.

"She's used to it and you have to deal with it little sister! It's part of looking pretty!" Yang proclaimed. Ruby grumbled a little bit under her breath, Weiss and Blake had already gone off to the dance. Blake went to find Sun and Weiss went off to go set everything up, poor girl was mad at Neptune still, who wouldn't be? He turned her down after showing an interest in her. And Weiss never showed an interest in anyone, poor Jaune.

"Kamui doesn't want me to suffer to look nice for him!" Ruby complained. Thankfully though she had a secret plan already in progress that Yang didn't know anything about!

"That's why you have to do it! You have to give him a reason to stay with you baby sister! Otherwise he could just go with that songstress, I've seen her and wow is she pretty!" Ruby left the dorm in the middle of her speech, blocking out everything she said. It was bad enough she had to listen to Camilla on the shopping trip! It was like having two Yangs around except one of them was just as likely to chop her head off with an axe! She felt like she was being interrogated more than spoken to.

"Hey Ruby! Come on!" Yang chased after her, which wasn't hard since Ruby was barely making headway with her shoes.

"I don't want you to embarrass me Yang! It's already bad enough that I'm probably going to be tripping over myself!" Ruby defended.

"I'm just teasing, Ruby. It's your first dance with your first boyfriend after all; oh boy Dad and Uncle Qrow are going to have a heart attack when they find out. I wonder how they'll react to it?" Yang wondered and Ruby felt her blood freeze over. She completely forgot about Dad an Uncle Qrow! Her dad was specifically against them dating and Uncle Qrow would probably have a field day too since her dad would drag him into it!

"Don't worry, Ruby I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. Dad and Qrow will like Kamui, I'm sure of it, though I would wait a little longer before telling them though. I doubt you'll be able to hide it though since you two are pretty well known and Dad likes to keep his tabs on us. I'll try to intercept anything from Dad though until you're ready," Yang supported. Ruby was glad she had a sister like Yang, she really was doing her best to support her endeavors. Interesting considering that Ruby would think she'd be more inclined to sabotage them. Wait was she still trying to get at Kamui's money? At that point the door to JNPR's room opened up and out came Jaune and Pyrrha.

Jaune was wearing a fancy tux that he spent a month saving up for. It had a bow tie that looked a little uncomfortable on him, but the dark suit fit him relatively well, if Ruby was any judge. Pyrrha was wearing a long red dress that had a little slit in the side. It was one of those dresses that Ruby remembered a lot of stars wearing whenever they went to events. At least that's what she thought, she would have preferred something akin to that actually but they couldn't afford it. Camilla practically forced her into the dress she was now wearing too. Still though Ruby couldn't help but smile at them, they were joined at their arms and they both looked quite happy.

"Hey Jauney! Hey Pyrrha, you two look fine," Yang called teasingly. The knight and Spartan both blushed at the comment. They might not have been dating yet but at least Jaune managed to ask Pyrrha to the dance. Surely he would start seeing her feelings soon, at least Ruby hoped so. It was so obvious that even the less insightful of their bunch was wondering if Jaune was just ignoring it. Ruby wouldn't say anything, they had to let things play out first, it would be better that way.

"Hey guys, you both look nice," Jaune complimented and Ruby blushed a little. She didn't think she looked that nice after all.

"Thanks…" Ruby said bashfully as she rubbed her arm. Yang giggled and tapped her back slightly, making her almost tumble over.

"Since you two are here, feel free to escort my sister! I have to get to the dance quick for Blake!" Yang said quickly as she ran off.

"Things are certainty crazier than usual," Pyrrha sighed as she helped Ruby stand up straight.

"Where's Kamui? I would have thought he'd come to take you himself?" Jaune asked as he took her other arm and helped Ruby down the hall.

"The original plan was that he would but I needed him to get something for me so I just told him to meet me at the entrance. How does he look, did you guys see him?" Ruby asked as they made it outside and started walking towards the dance.

"Oh he was already gone when I went to check on him. I did see his suit though, I'm sure you'll like it a lot. It was tailored to him a few days ago; you should have seen how much he vented at his sister for making him get a new suit. He's probably going to stand out a little bit. This dance is going to be good for him, he's been running around a lot these past few days," Pyrrha commented.

"His family is a handful…" Ruby agreed. She ended up getting dragged along on most of his adventure to find his nephews and nieces. Then she also had to help him keep his friends from making a mess of things.

As his girlfriend it was her duty after all and while it was fun she could understand why he made it urgent to find them. It wasn't so much that the kids themselves were a handful; in fact they were little angels actually especially Sakura, Elise and Leo. It was the fact that they were around his associates that he didn't want. Odin and Ophelia were quite the interesting pair, she would have thought they were siblings instead of father and daughter, aura immortality really treated Odin well. Nina was a bit odd as well, in a way similar to Sun actually but reverse. They caught them trying to steal cake from a bakery. The three were using the children to distract the clerks they were cute after all. That ended in a rather hilarious scene involving Kamui yelling and ears getting pulled.

"Thankfully the dance is past their bedtimes so they should all be asleep now. They're very good with going to sleep when it's time, Kamui even made sure the competent guards were watching them," Pyrrha joked. Ruby was starting to wonder if Kamui got away to become his own person or was it just to get away from all the insanity.

"I just hope I don't step on his toes…" Ruby said softly.

"Dancing isn't that hard, just flow with the music," Jaune encouraged. It came as a little shocker that Jaune was actually pretty good at dancing, at least so he claimed. For some reason Ruby didn't think he was using false bravado with everyone either. They'd soon find out if he was telling the truth.

"Kamui knows how to dance, just let him lead and try not to step on him," Pyrrha teased and Ruby blushed bad. Jaune and Pyrrha laughed at her expense as they helped her up the stairs to the dance. The music that was faint before was now fully ringing through their ears. It wasn't a loud obnoxious song though, it was more relaxed and classical, Weiss's influence no doubt. The more loud and party music would come in later though.

"That's not funny!" Ruby whined.

"What's not funny?" a familiar voice asked. Ruby's heart dropped a little as she turned to greet her date and boyfriend. Kamui was wearing a black suit with gold trim. His suit was styled in a way befitting a prince almost mixed with that of a modern day military man. He even had pauldrons on and of course he had his Yato with him as well.

"Do I displease?" Kamui asked nervously. Ruby shook herself out of her stare and blushed before she walked up to him. She didn't bother questioning how she was using her stilts perfectly now.

"You look perfect," Ruby said softly. Kamui blushed but he reached out and pulled her into a light hug.

"You look very beautiful, Ruby. The dress suits you very much," Kamui said kindly. Ruby felt like she could just melt into his arms. She didn't even notice Jaune and Pyrrha snap a few pictures before leaving them.

"Did you bring them?" Ruby asked softly, content to just rest in his arms.

"Your shoes are inside, I couldn't bring them out here without Yang seeing them. I got this for you though like you asked, Yang didn't question this," Kamui pulled back and brought out her Crescent Rose from behind his back. Ruby squealed slightly and leaned up to kiss him on the lips for a few seconds before she took her beloved into his arms.

"Thank you!" Ruby praised as she put her weapon it's usual place. Kamui chuckled at her before he offered her his arm.

"Well let's get going then, Yang is going to wonder where we are if we take any longer," he said and Ruby took his arm happily as they made their way into the dance. They walked arm in arm into the building followed by a little squeal. Yang was waiting for them at the entrance; Ruby chuckled nervously since she knew what was coming.

"You both look so cute!" Yang gushed. She pulled her scroll out and held it up to them.

"Come on, give me a good shot!" Yang demanded. Ruby caught sight of their friends in the dance giving them certain looks. Even Weiss looked rather smug at their discomfort over being fretted.

"This will be the first of many! I hope you have a bunch of pages set aside for the dance, Kamui," Yang proclaimed. Kamui chuckled but he took it better than Ruby did. He pulled his arm from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders gently. Ruby blushed but she did the same and wrapped her arm around his back. She smiled at the camera as brightly as she could and Yang snapped the picture.

"Good now get out there! Go dance! I better see you two dancing otherwise I'll throw you out there myself!" Yang demanded as she hurried them to mingle. Unfortunately attention was on them now thanks to Yang and Ruby just wanted to disappear, she hated this kind of attention.

"Just smile and nod. Let's get your shoes," Kamui spoke as he led her up the stairs to one of the overlooking balconies. Ruby nodded and did as he said and tried her best to keep a fake smile on her face whenever people looked at her. She supposed it would be natural; she was dating a Legacy now. Oh Oum her dad was going to have an aneurism when he found out. There was no way he wouldn't find out now.

"Here we are, right where I left them. Your shoes, nice and comfortable and not stilts," Kamui said as he pulled out a bag he hid behind one of the tables. Ruby quickly opened the bag and pulled her boots out. She sat down at the table and pulled the little devils off her feet, sighing in relief as shots of satisfaction ran through her feet. Then she pulled her boots on and threw her stilts into the bag.

"Thanks, you're the best boyfriend ever," Ruby said sweetly as she leaned up to kiss him quickly and he chuckled a little.

"I don't know if I would say that, just make sure you don't lose those shoes. Weiss will probably lose it if you do," Kamui spoke amused. Ruby just threw the bag where he put it the first time and stood up.

"So…are we going to dance then?" Ruby asked nervously as they walked up to the railing to observe the rest of the dance. Ruby smiled when she saw Blake having a good time with Sun. She was actually laughing. She even spotted Professor Glynda dancing with Professor Ozpin. The blonde teacher actually looked quite pleased with herself as well, something Ruby never thought she would see and…was the professor blushing? Even Professor Ozpin looked quite pleased; he was actually smiling instead of giving his usual passive visage. They actually looked nice together, they were always together anyways for some reason but Ruby never thought that it might go deeper than that.

Still the sight that stole the show was probably the dance between Pyrrha and Jaune. Ruby was no expert on dancing but they just seemed to move together perfectly. They moved in perfect sync like they were made for each other and they were both enjoying themselves. Everyone seemed more drawn to them now, thank Oum. Ruby sighed longingly as she saw Jaune twirl Pyrrha around just like something out of a fairy tale movie. Ruby wanted to do that but she knew that it wasn't going to happen. She leaned her head against Kamui's shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

"Yes but not yet, I don't want to dance unless Azura is singing. I don't think this song right now is your thing," Kamui commented. On queue the DJ changed the music and it turned into a more upbeat theme, something out of Yang's album no doubt. Then on instinct the whole of JNPR took the center of the floor and started dancing in perfect sync. Ruby gaped at the display; since when could they pull something like that off?! The four of them were literally dancing together in perfect sync like they practiced that!

"We really needed this, after days of espionage and crazy visitors it's nice to take a break," Kamui sighed as he leaned onto the railing.

"Yeah, tomorrow it's back to work and our first mission the day after," Ruby sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I thought you'd be more excited, it's going to be your first step in showing the world how great my little Reaper really is…" Kamui said kindly as he kissed the top of her head. She blushed at the gesture but she sighed contently.

"Yeah…but we just got together, I want to spend a little more time with my angel…" Ruby said smugly, knowing that he would get embarrassed from that. He just wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him though as they watched their friends enjoy the night. She chuckled a little when she saw Jaune almost trip over himself when Camilla and Kaze began dancing. Camilla was wearing a rather…showy dress to put it lightly. Pyrrha was glaring daggers at the purple haired huntress, which brought out a sigh of annoyance from Kamui and Ruby. Ruby was also pleasantly surprised to see Neptune walk up to Weiss, the heiress seemed a little surprised by his appearance but from what she could tell it was pleasant from the smile on the Heiress's face.

"Those two are going to be good together when Jaune finally gets his act together. And Weiss looks happier than I usually see her," Kamui commented.

"Yeah, I hope Pyrrha confesses to him soon. I'm all for letting the man make the move as Yang says but I think in this day and age the girl should take the initiative if the man doesn't. At least Neptune got over whatever he was doing," Ruby sighed as she watched Weiss actually smile as she spoke with the blue haired boy.

"Pyrrha definitely looks happy. Happier than I've seen her in some time, Jaune certainty know how to dance. If only he could open with that instead of his usual stupid pickup lines," Kamui sighed and Ruby laughed at the thought. Imagine if Jaune just started dancing with any random girl he fancied. That would certainly leave an impression better than his lines.

"Hey look, Penny's here," Kamui pointed out. Ruby followed his direction and she smiled when she saw the familiar orange haired girl and her two escorts. She laughed when she saw one of her guards start doing the robot dance with her.

"We should probably go talk to her, we haven't seen her since that time in the city," Ruby said softly.

"She speaks fondly of you both," a rather firm yet kind voice cut in. Ruby turned to see none other than General Ironwood himself approaching them.

"General Ironwood," Kamui greeted though Ruby could tell he was a little tense.

"It has been some time, Kamui. I am sorry I haven't spoken to you at all since I arrived. Things have been a little hectic lately," Ironwood said.

"It is no problem at all, you're a busy man after all with the Vytal Festival around the corner and the fleet you've brought in…This is my date, Ruby Rose," Kamui introduced. The general nodded to her kindly and Ruby smiled and held out her hand to shake his. The tension in the air was anything but gone though.

"Yes, I know Miss Rose. I've heard all about her from Ozpin and of course Penny. You really opened up her heart you know. I thank you for that, Penny is…well she needed that support," Ironwood said kindly.

"Of course, Penny is a friend," Ruby said kindly and Ironwood gave her a small smile.

"I will not take much more of your time. I merely wish to say that your brother sends his regards and that he looks forward to seeing you compete in the tournament as will we all," Ironwood said professionally. Ruby saw Kamui just nod simply and the general walked off.

"Thank Oum I commanded the others to stay with the kids, I don't know what mischief they'd get into if they were all here," Kamui sighed as he returned to leaning on the railing. He obviously didn't want to talk about what the general said and Ruby was fine with that. They were supposed to be relaxing after all. At that point Professor Port went onto the main stage with a mic and caught everyone's attention.

"Attention students, it is my pleasure to introduce the main encore of the night…please give your applause for Miss Azura the songstress from Mistral!" Professor Port announced proudly. At the sound of the name everyone in the crowd let out a cheer, how could they not? Azure was a very famous singer; Ruby liked her music as well. She was the one that made Yang's favorite song, _I Burn_. It was tempered now though since she knew that at one point she had been promised to Kamui. Something she was not very keen on allowing now.

"Quiet down everyone, here she comes," Professor Port commanded as he stepped off the stage. The curtains pulled back and out came the songstress herself. Ruby could only gape at her, sure she'd seen her on TV and posters before but it was different seeing her in real life.

Azura was a beautiful girl by all rights, not in the way that Yang or Camilla or even Pyrrha seemed to embody. The beauty she held was more of an elegant nature. She had long cerulean hair that flowed freely down her back and even in her face a little. She had beautiful yellow eyes that glowed with radiance akin to the rising sun. For dress she wore a beautiful white dress with blue detailing, clearly modified for her to move in. She wasn't just a singer; she was also a dancer and a huntress in training.

"Thank you for the warm welcome everyone," Azura said softly over the microphone. Her eyes flashed up and Ruby could have sworn she looked right at Kamui and herself. Then she brought her hands up and water seemed to appear when he hands moved. Then she waved her hands forward in a very smooth motion and waves of water washed over the crowd but no one got wet. In fact the water seemed to sprinkle over the room like snow almost. Her semblance at work, control over water and its properties. She was known for using it at her concerts to give that atmosphere to her performance plus it was really nice on a summer day.

"I am sure you are well aware of who I am and what I do. I am actually here to compete in the tournament. However as a treat I have agreed to perform here at this dance, thankfully the agreement was kept secret otherwise the paparazzi would be everywhere, not that there isn't reason for them to be here already," she giggled softly and many people in the crowd laughed with her. Ruby cracked a small smile and Kamui scoffed but he sounded amused.

"I have a new song I wish to share with you all, no one has ever heard this song before so you will all be the first. However I dedicate this song to a dear friend of mine and his date, who I hope will honor me with dancing to this song first," she said softly. Ruby felt Kamui's hand tighten around hers and fear gripped her heart as Azure looked up towards them openly and then Kamui let out a small sigh.

"Kamui would you and your date please come down?" Azura asked and Ruby wanted to feint. Everyone's eyes were on them again and Ruby felt her face heat up.

"Damn it Camilla…" she heard Kamui whisper under his breath. Ruby looked down at his sister and saw her looking quite smug. Her sister was no help either, Yang was holding her scroll out on record mode no doubt. The rest of their bunch were either just smiling or holding their scrolls out to record or take pictures of them.

"Come on Ruby, just smile and go with it like I said…" Kamui whispered as he led her down the stairs. Ruby tried her best not to let her fear get the best of her but it was quite hard, she would have preferred fighting a Nevermore again to this. She just held onto Kamui's hand tightly as they walked down the stairs to the floor. Everyone parted for them as they made their way across the floor to the middle of the dance floor.

"Good luck…" Jaune mouthed to her and she nodded in thanks. The crowd gave them a wide berth and Ruby had to try her best to ignore the outraged looks on Weiss and Yang's faces. No doubt they noticed she was wearing her usual boots now instead of the stilts they got her.

"Well, we're here Azura," Kamui spoke respectfully. Despite the fact that he might not have wanted it though Ruby saw him look genuinely happy though.

"Thank you Kamui, I hope the song is to your liking. It was a private request after all and I could think of no one more deserving. This song was created specifically for you and your date. It is an honor to do this for you my dear friend…" Azura said kindly and Ruby felt a little jealous at the familiar tone she used with him. The way she called him friend almost sounded…bitter like she wasn't content with the title. Then Azura started using her semblance to reignite the shiny atmosphere she created to make everything have that magical look she was known for. In fact it was more pronounced than before.

"Don't worry, you're my girlfriend not her…" Kamui whispered and Ruby blushed instantly but she smiled.

Kamui pulled away from her and took a few steps back. He was blushing but he looked quite pleased with himself as he took a formal bow to her. There were a few awws that came from the crowd; Ruby knew that Yang was one of them. Still though she sighed, remembering some of the lessons Weiss taught her. She took hold of her dress and gave Kamui a formal bow back. Ruby knew it was the atmosphere that Azura created but it really made Kamui look even better. Ruby blocked out the distractions, trying to only focus on her boyfriend, so she wouldn't mess it up. They both rose from their stance together and stepped closer to each other and when their hands met Azura began singing.

" _Embrace the dark you call a home. Gaze upon an empty, white throne. A legacy of lies. A familiar disguise…"_

Kamui and Ruby began dancing to the tone of her voice. Ruby blushed as she danced with her date, more surprised that she wasn't stepping on his feet or tripping herself over the fact that she was apparently doing well. The sound of Azura's voice was full of passion and feeling. The song was a bit different from the way she usually sung. Still Ruby did her best to keep up with Kamui who led her excellently through the dance.

" _Sing with me a song of conquest and fate! The black pillar cracks beneath its weight! Night breaks through the day, hard as stone. Lost in thoughts all alone!"_

Ruby was actually enjoying herself with the song; it was so full of passion that she just wanted to move. Kamui seemed to be enjoying himself as well from the smile on his face. They were dancing in a rather fast paced way as Kamui spun them around the floor. The atmosphere gave of a very vibrant glow as they moved. Then Kamui gave her a small spin and she spun on the tip of one of her feet as she came to a stop, facing him again. Ok she took it all back, she loved it, she felt just like they were reenacting a scene from a fairy tale. At that time she finished her movement the water atmosphere gave off a sharp flash before settling to a more gentle tone. Ruby just went along with it and quickly took Kamui's hands again as they begun again.

" _In the white light. A hand reaches through. A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two. Waking dreams fade away. Embrace the brand new day"_

Now it sounded more like the usual tone of voice that Azura usually sung in, a more gentle and caring tone. The dance was far more relaxed and gentle now. Kamui and Ruby spun around the dance floor at a more controlled pact as opposed to the fast and quick movements they did before. Ruby enjoyed it about the same though, the fast movements were fun because they were moving very fast almost like they were having one of their duels. The slow movements were fun too though because now she could see Kamui's face more clearly as they moved and enjoy being with him a little more. She giggled softly as he gave her a small twirl in place, which she executed perfectly before she readjusted back into his stance.

 _"Sing with me a song. Of birthrights and love. The light scatters to the sky above. Dawn breaks through the gloom. White as a bone. Lost in thoughts, all alone…"_

Birthrights and love? Conquests and fate? It was starting to sound a bit like Azura was singing about good and evil now. First she was singing about dark now she was singing of light. She created this song specifically for Kamui? What did she mean by these words? Azura had a tendency to give her song hidden meaning from what Ruby remembered but that was hardly unique to her. Was she talking about his heritage as a Nephilim and his love for her? What did Conquests and Fate mean then? Was she trying to say that fate was trying to make him a conqueror or something? The dazzling atmosphere picked up again but not in the robust way like earlier, more in a gentle haze.

" _The path you walk belongs to destiny. Let it flow. All of your joy and your pain all fall like the tide. Let it flow. Life is not just filled with happiness. Nor sorrow. Even the thorn in your heart. In time it may become…a rose…"_

That last line made Ruby blush hard. That line sounded just like the growing love Kamui held for her. She wouldn't really call it a thorn sticking into his heart though; it made it sound like she gained his affection through ill means. Still though destiny? She didn't like the idea of letting destiny decide a path; Kamui was always the type to carve his destiny in her eyes. Looking up at his smiling face she could see him, her blazing angel forging his path with her at his side as they fought against destiny together. They continued to move even slower now as the song became more sullen and depressed than gentle.

 _"Sing with me a song. Of silence and blood. The rain falls but. Can't wash away the mud. Within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride. Can no one hear my cry?"_

Ruby's heart cracked a little bit and it got worse when she saw Kamui's smile falter a little. Was Azura trying to say that Kamui was stuck in some kind of crisis? She looked up at him worriedly but he just kept smiling at her, trying to disarm her. How long had Azura taken to plan that song? They hadn't been dating for very long unless it was just a coincidence that Rose was in the song. She leaned her head against his chest as they moved, listening to his heartbeat.

 _"You are the ocean's grey waves. Destined to seek life beyond the shore. Just out of reach. Yet the waters ever change. Flowing like time. The path is yours to climb. You are the ocean's grey waves…"_

Ruby and Kamui spun around one last time and Kamui gave her another spin that ended up with her standing a few steps away from him. Then he took a bow and she instinctively bowed back to him, noticing the atmosphere give another flare. They both rose from their bow and Kamui gave her one of the warmest smiles she'd ever seen him give. She couldn't help herself and she quickly closed the gap between them. She jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck to deliver a sweet kiss to his lips, despite the fact she would probably be too embarrassed to do that normally. What she didn't notice was that Azura had allowed the atmosphere to flare around them again before fading completely. That is when things went downhill because that's when the applause rang through the room.

"That was forward…" Kamui whispered as Ruby pulled away and hid her face in his chest. She peeked out from her refuge to see that everyone in the room was clapping for them and cheering as well. She could see Yang was still recording everything and Weiss was no help at all. Their band of misfits was adding to it by being louder than the rest of the crowd.

"I would say that is an excellent performance. In truth everyone could have joined in but I suppose that would have ruined the magic. Thank you for that wonderful performance you two," Azura said kindly. Ruby spared a look at her despite her embarrassment and saw Azura give them a small bow.

"Now…shall I sing a song everyone recognizes?" Azura asked followed by a few cheers as she took attention away from them, thank Oum.

"Come on, while she takes their attention away…we can try to sneak away…" Kamui said as he led her away as the crowd surged forward. Unfortunately while they seemed to avoid Camilla, they couldn't avoid all of their friends. Yang caught them by getting in their way and snapping another picture.

"That was so cute! You two looked so good! Ruby I didn't know you could dance like that!" Yang gushed as she pulled her away from Kamui and started hugging her too tightly again.

"You danced with an elegance and refinement that would make all the rich jealous. Few can say that Azura herself gave them a song just for them," Weiss commented but she sounded amused.

"Friend Ruby and Kamui!" Penny shouted joyfully. Penny bless her heart…er…robotic heart? Ruby wanted to talk with her but there were other pressing things to do! Like get out of dodge!

"They were rather cool, weren't they?" Neptune asked. Ruby was starting to feel her breaking point come up as she broke away from her sister and started tugging on Kamui's arm again for them to go outside.

"Sorry guys, I think Ruby wants to go now, we can talk about it later," Kamui chuckled lightly. How was he not embarrassed? He was either used to the attention or he just enjoyed it way too much, probably the latter. Thankfully Pyrrha and Jaune interfered on their behalf.

"Come on guys, we can give them a break. They did dance to a full song by themselves," Jaune said.

"Yes, we'll have the rest of their lives to tease them about it," Pyrrha added. At that point Azura started singing again and cut off any complaint Yang might have had.

"Alright then, let's go mingle guys! I love this song! Kamui you better make sure she ends up in her dorm by the end!" Yang exclaimed as she stormed her way to the front of the crowd. The others all dispersed to do their own thing as Kamui and Ruby hurried outside. Ruby noticed Professor Ozpin give them an amused look as they passed by him and Goodwitch, who unfortunately held them up again.

"That was an excellent dance you two. I trust your families will be thrilled to know about it?" Goodwitch asked in a…was she trying to be nice? Oh Oum she reminded her of her family again!

"Please don't mention them right now. I don't think my dad is going to be happy, or Uncle Qrow," Ruby pleaded. Ozpin actually gave a small chuckle, how was that funny?! Her dad and uncle were going to breath down her neck like a pack of Beowolves! They better not threaten Kamui!

"Felica and Flora are no doubt going to be very pleased with themselves…Jakob it probably going to make it a duty to tease me too…" Kamui muttered, finally showing how unnerved he was by everything.

"Indeed…I can only imagine how proud they'll be to see their little Rider grown up. I know I am…you've become a fine young man, Kamui…" Goodwitch said kindly. It was making Ruby a little nervous, everything was getting crazy now, Goodwitch was being nice!

"Now, Miss Goodwitch, I trust you will be sure to allow these two some peace for now. After all they won't have it for long," Ozpin interfered.

"Very well…have a good night you two, I trust you will only perform admirably on your mission together," Goodwitch said in a slightly dejected tone. But she brightened up when Ozpin started leading her back to the dance floor. Did they like each other? Ozpin did seem to always be around Goodwitch, it would be interesting to find out they fancied each other.

"Come on, let's take a break shall we?" Kamui sighed as he took her outside into the cool night air. Ruby sighed in relief as they made it out of the dance into the relaxing cool air.

"You danced very well, you know," Kamui complimented as he led her down a walk through some of the grassy courtyard.

"I didn't think I could move that well?" Ruby asked.

"Well after sparring with you for months I can see how you would pull that stuff off. We were just relying on our acrobatics more than our weapons," Kamui explained. Ruby didn't feel embarrassed anymore, since they were alone.

"Why did Goodwitch hold us up like that? She was talking to you in a fairly familiar tone," Ruby asked, Goodwitch spoke to him almost like a mother would. Kamui let out a sigh but she saw him smile at the knowledge.

"Ah yes…you see a lot of the main teachers actually kind of know…me or did anyway. Goodwitch and Ozpin were just hunters at the time, not teachers. You see there was a small issue when I was younger that required me to go into hiding, which is why I have the name Azure also. My brothers cycled through their contacts to watch over me and Camilla. We had our protectors but they wanted to bolster the ranks. I was the only one who couldn't defend themself at the time, I was only five to seven," Kamui sighed, Ruby tightened her grip on his arm comfortingly. She never knew that he had to hide in his early childhood.

"Goodwitch was one of them?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, she was a lot nicer back then, she wasn't a teacher yet after all and she let me call her Miss Glynda. That's how I met Qrow, Ozpin and Taiyang as well as many other teachers or huntsman in the world. I…didn't meet Summer that way since well…My brothers are important figures in the Hunter world after all so they know all the other important people. Goodwitch was closer to me than most though, she practically raised me for those two years after all since she was the one who was with me the whole time. The others sort of cycled through in shifts, I still remember the way she used to yell at Qrow whenever he tried to tell me stories," Kamui laughed a little at the memory and Ruby laughed along with him. It was hard to imagine Goodwitch being a little more motherly and she could understand why she wouldn't want Qrow to tell any stories. Ruby's uncle was not the best at keeping things PG unless he was sober, which wasn't exactly common.

"Why hasn't she shown any of that fondness now though? I hardly see you two share two words unless its class related. Uncle Qrow and my dad haven't mentioned any of this either," Ruby said and Kamui let out a small-dejected sigh.

"The event was meant to be secret as you probably pieced together already. It has also been over seven years since I've been around Goodwitch or the others for more than a few moments. I'm not the little innocent boy they protected anymore; it's easier to like a kid after all. I'm a Legacy and the ones before me haven't painted me well. I think Goodwitch still cares as we saw but she's a teacher now," Kamui said sadly. Ruby stopped them and she hugged him tightly. The song Azura sang was starting to ring truer to Ruby with every moment. Kamui's heart was in pain even though he didn't show it; she wouldn't let him be alone anymore. After a few moments he pulled away from the hug and they continued their walk.

"I...I have to ask…did…did you know the other person on my mother's team?" Ruby asked innocently.

She'd seen pictures of team STRQ, her parents' team before but for some reason no one told her about the fourth person in the team. She knew STQ were her mom, dad and uncle but the R she didn't know. Her dad always snapped at her whenever she asked about her and Qrow just told her not to worry about it. The reason she wondered was because of the fact that when they were younger it seemed to drive her sister mad, like she was someone important to them that she didn't know. She assumed that the women was related to Qrow, probably a sister, they had the same eyes and hair after all but other than that she didn't know. Even her sister wouldn't tell her anything about it. She had her ideas of who she might have been though.

"Raven?" Kamui asked, surprised.

"So that's her name…so did you know her?" Ruby asked. Kamui seemed a little surprised by the question like he never thought he'd be talking about the person she asked about.

"Yes I did, still do actually, she's Qrow's sister and she was one of the people who guarded me. Though she was never quite there openly. She always tended to be hiding, I always noticed somehow. I remember at night I would call out to her and she would appear every time like some kind of guardian angel. She was kind to me, like Goodwitch. I guess you could say that she tired to be a mother to me also. I actually call her my mom, I still see her a lot. She still visits me to check up on me, she's the one that helped me find my semblance actually. Though I haven't seen her in some time lately," Kamui said fondly and Ruby smiled a little since she sounded like a nice person. So she became his mother then that was sweet of her. Why would her family act like she was some kind of demon then? Could it be possible that…

"Did…she ever talk about having a daughter?" Ruby asked, trying to not sound suspicious. She knew that she and Yang were not full sisters, they tried to hide it from her but she could tell, there were so many differences between them. How could she not piece it together sooner?

"I…Ruby…what brought this on? Why are you asking about my mom?" Kamui asked, sounding a little defensive. Ruby knew he wouldn't hide the information from her if she pleaded. She made it a point that he could trust her with anything if he could trust her with what he really is.

"Kamui…I…I think Raven is Yang's mom…" Ruby said truthfully. Kamui flinched slightly and he stopped in his tracks. His eyes went downcast and he sighed sorrowfully.

"Kamui…did you…know?" Ruby asked fearfully. Had Yang's mom abandoned her in favor of another child? She didn't know how to feel about that, besides a little angry. What made it worse is that Kamui seemed to know about it, did he willingly allow it to happen? But…he didn't have his real mom; maybe that's why he allowed it, he was only a little kid at the time after all. Would it stop her from loving him? Of course not!

"Kamui, I won't stop caring for you over this…" Ruby pleaded as she stepped in front of him and took his face into her hands gently. He looked so guilty like he committed some kind of great crime that was just too sweet to not do.

"I…I don't know what to say, Ruby…no…she never told me about it, though after seeing Yang and you telling me, I can see the resemblance. Mom never told me about her life besides the fact that she was Qrow's sister and that she was part of a team in Beacon. No I never started calling Qrow uncle by the way. This…this feels weird now…" Kamui sighed as he scratched his head.

"What about Felica and Flora? Didn't you say they were your mother figures?" Ruby asked softly. Kamui smiled and sighed before he shook his head.

"I have more than one mother figure in my life…Felica and Flora have their own children though so I never imposed. Goodwitch never really checked up on me after the crisis was over so that left it's mark… Mom took the time to train me when no one was looking and look after me whenever I was in danger. She also kept coming back even after I was out of danger. She also had me promise never to reveal her though unless she was specifically named or if I really trusted the person," Kamui explained. Ruby felt touched by the little compliment, she couldn't be mad at him of course. Still it was a little concerning, what would she do with the knowledge…well besides the obvious first.

"I won't tell anyone unless you want to, I promise," Ruby swore as she held him comfortingly.

"Thank you Ruby…I…I'll have to talk with her about this at some point…hopefully soon…" Kamui said gratefully. She smiled at him but before she could do anything she noticed something.

"Hey, look…" Ruby pointed towards someone who was running along the roof of Beacon. She would have thought it was Blake but she was in the dance and she could already tell it wasn't Blake from looking at her. She was dressed in full black and she wore a mask like she was hiding something.

"Who's that?" Kamui asked.

"I don't know but she doesn't look good…" Ruby said as she drew Crescent Rose. Kamui gave her a small smile.

"Shall we have another stealth mission to tie up this wonderful night?" he asked, returning to his usual persona that Ruby loved.

"Yes! Stealth Mission two commence!"

 **Jaune's POV**

"Hey Pyrrha, do you think it was a good idea to let Kamui and Ruby leave like that?" Jaune asked as he gave Pyrrha a small spin before she ended up back in his arms.

"Why do you ask? Kamui is responsible," Pyrrha said a little dreamily. Jaune blushed since she was looking at him like he was some kind of gem. What brought this on all of a sudden?

"Well yeah but I mean trouble usually seems to show up around Ruby and Kamui always gets dragged in or charges after her. I'm just worried that they'll get into trouble again," Jaune said as he twirled them around the dance stage.

"True but they can't get into too much trouble, everything is quiet right now. Torchwick won't attack unprovoked especially with all the hunters here," Pyrrha explained.

"I guess you're right…by the way I didn't say it yet but you look very good in that dress…" Jaune said with a small blush.

"Oh…now you notice me…I thought you were too busy admiring Lady Camilla or Azura…or Weiss, I know you knocked some sense into Neptune to help her out, such a good boy you are," Pyrrha teased and Jaune blushed in embarrassment. Curse his hormones for making him look at girls and women who he didn't even know personally.

"I…um…you look better than both of them…and well, Weiss deserved better…" Jaune said quickly and Pyrrha smirked at him mischievously.

"Oh really…how about you prove that's what you think?" Pyrrha asked challengingly as she leaned towards him. Was the punch spiked or something?! She was trying to kiss him! He saw her drink a bit of it while Kamui and Ruby were stealing the show and…wait wasn't Cardin in charge of the punch bowl? Damn that guy…

"Um…Pyrrha I don't think you're feeling well…" Jaune said nervously as he held her away, last thing he needed was to take advantage of her state. He'd kill Cardin later.

"But I feel great…I want to share my feelings with you…" Pyrrha slurred as she tried harder to kiss him. Jaune quickly pulled her away before they made a scene but Pyrrha seemed to get the wrong idea and press him against a wall.

"Oh…so forward my knight…I didn't know you wanted to go that far…" Pyrrha said seductively. She looked full blown out of it now, her face was flushed and her eyes were clouded, what the hell did Cardin put in the punch?! Thank Oum no one was noticing though, they were too busy focusing on Azura.

"Pyrrha, please you're not feeling well," Jaune pressed but Pyrrha just giggled and pressed him hard against the wall.

"Oh I have never felt more fine in my life, my knight…I am a champion and I mean to take my prize…now…" Pyrrha began leaning in again and Jaune could do little to get away from her since she held him down. He tried to break free but she was too strong. Except right before she could kiss him she slumped against him. He blinked for a few moments until he heard her give off her cute sighs she would only give if she was asleep. Thank Oun, she passed out, he would make sure never to tell her about what happened.

"Ok…let's get you to bed…" he sighed as he picked her up bridal style, ignoring the stares he was getting. He sighed as he tried not to be embarrassed or cringe when Cardin gave him a thumbs up, yep he would definitely kill him later. Wait…didn't he see Nora and Yang drink the punch too?

"Renny! I love you! Why won't you notice me!" Nora shouted.

"Nora!" Ren cried out, aghast.

"Who the hell spiked the punch!? Winchester!" Yang screamed followed by a yelp of fear from said boy. Jaune just sighed as he quickly left the dance; they were so close to ending off with no incidents too. Still though he looked down at Pyrrha's sleeping form and he smiled at her, it wasn't all bad, not all bad at all.

 **Kamui's POV**

"The CCT tower?" Kamui asked as he and Ruby ran into the building. They followed the little spy all the way from Beacon to the tower, why would she come there, wait that was a stupid question. The CCT tower was full of data from literally everywhere, everyone used it, it was the only way for kingdoms to communicate with each other. Security was down too thanks to the dance. Everyone was at Beacon at the moment.

"This isn't good…" Ruby said as they entered the building to find all the guards posted were knocked out. Kamui sighed and drew his sword as they walked through the building cautiously. They spotted the elevator which was currently going up, no doubt the infiltrator was using it.

"Ruby, wait here and take the elevator, I'll go through the stairs in case she tried to slip through that way," Kamui said as he went to the stairs.

"You got it, I hope you don't get tired," Ruby teased and Kamui chuckled as he moved up the stairs.

"Just worry about your task, I'll see you soon little Reaper," Kamui called down as he moved up the tower on foot. In truth there was really only one other floor, the tower wasn't that tall really, only tall for people that don't train or have aura, fortunately Kamui had both and more, this would be nothing.

"Ok…second of only three floors…there's no one here…" Kamui sighed in annoyance. There weren't any guards in sight, not even knocked out ones! Yes the second floor was more for show than anything but still, it was common sense to have guards there, what if they didn't decide to use the elevator? Ironwood really needed to force his men to train more. Were they so out of shape that they couldn't be bothered to go up stairs?

"Well at least there's no one here to get hurt in the first place…" Kamui sighed as he slowly made his way through the floor, going for the next set of stairs. Mid way to the stairs though he paused. He smiled a little and turned towards the windows.

"I know you're there…" he said softly. On reaction a small portal opened up across the windows and a woman dressed in red armor and black leggings akin to a samurai of sorts stepped out. She had a long sword sheathed at her hip in a custom sheath with different dust types that he recognized all too well. The other thing was the she wore a Grimm mask over her face with long raven hair cascading down her back. She stood a few inches over him, at Pyrrha's height probably.

"You always were an observant one…son…just like Ryoma…" her voice was a little morphed through the mask but there was an unmistakable fondness in her tone. She reached up and undid the latches to her mask and pulled the thing off of her head. Raven looked just like her daughter or rather Yang looked just like her mother, the only thing that was different was that her hair was black and her eyes were always red. Aura immortality really treated her well, most would be jealous of that.

"Hello Mother, I don't know if that's a compliment or not," Kamui greeted kindly. Raven smiled at him and approached him, Kamui sheathed his sword and he met her part way in a quick warm hug. They parted after only a few moments as Raven messed up his hair a little.

"You got taller, you're going to be bigger than me soon," she chuckled and Kamui batted her hand away lightly.

"What brings you here Mother? You've been gone for some time," Kamui asked, making sure to be listening in just in case. He was happy to see her but she picked a bit of a bad time. Except she always had a reason for showing up, he just hoped it was a good one.

"It has been some time since I last spoke with you. I have been unable to show myself to you since Beacon is a little difficult to sneak into. Ozpin is keeping a closer eye on you than you think. Besides, I heard that you're going through your growth phase and I saw that you have yourself a little girlfriend now…" Raven teased and he sighed softly, great not her too.

"Mother…I'm kind of in the middle of something…" Kamui said as he eyed the stairs.

"I know, but I had to come speak with you, especially now. Your…girlfriend…she's Summer's daughter. You know your brother and Summer liked to joke about the idea of you two getting together. I wonder if Summer is laughing in her grave right now, she was really into the idea of setting you two up," Raven said a little darkly and Kamui frowned.

"I know…she's also the sister of your daughter…" Kamui said softly and Raven actually flinched a little.

"Kamui I-" Kamui held his hand up to her and she stopped herself. He was not in the mood to deal with drama.

"Don't bother…I've known for some time actually…Qrow told me before I came to Beacon. I don't know your reasons but I trust you…Yang looks a lot like you, though I think she acts like her father a little more," Kamui explained gently. He didn't lie to Ruby, Raven never told him about her past life after all. Raven scoffed and crossed her arms but she seemed to be a little happy.

"Of course, Taiyang always said that she would be more like him. I suppose I have only myself to blame for that though…I have been keeping my little tabs on her despite what people might say. I see she's taken a liking to you as well like a brother, how fitting," Raven sighed in an amused way.

"Mother, why are you really here? I know you want to check on me but I think we both know it's more than that," Kamui asked, Raven was never one to show up just to check up on him, at least not since he was little.

"There's something big going on, son. Ozpin might say different when you ask him but I won't let you go in without knowing that things are not what they appear," Raven said urgently.

"What do you mean?" Kamui asked, confused.

"Ozpin is going to assign you and your entire merry group to go on a certain mission. He'll say it's just a simple search and destroy mission but there is much more to the mission than that. I don't know for certain but my instincts are telling me that he's going to be thrusting you right into the middle of whatever operation is going on behind the scenes. I want you to prepare for the worst," Raven placed her hand on his shoulder as she spoke, she sounded very worried, something she rarely shows.

"What operation? The White Fang? Torchwick?" Kamui asked quickly, nothing was adding up she still didn't explain what the "big" operation was. At that point he heard a loud crash from upstairs and their heads both snapped to the staircase.

"Go now, Son. Remember what I said and take care of your friends, on your mission be on the lookout for an old friend, she'll be looking for you as well. She'll make herself known," Raven said as she pushed him towards the stairs. Then she put her mask back over her face and opened one of her portals and stepped into it without a word.

"Thanks Mom…" Kamui thought as he turned to the stairs and ran up the flight. He would think about what she said later, now he had a girlfriend to aid!

"Ruby?!" Kamui shouted as he ran up to the top of the tower. He heard gunfire and the sound of dust and blades clashing as he ran up the stairs. He drew his sword when he reached the top and it was a good thing he did. The moment he reached the top he saw Ruby fighting their little spy. The black cad woman was holding two short swords that seemed to be made of…was that dust? Before he could ponder it further though she kicked Ruby away and slammed her swords together to form a bow. Then she took aim at him as three arrows materialized into her hands, then she loosed them at him.

"Damn…" Kamui dodged the first one and he used his sword to block the other two, which shattered on impact. Normally that would be a good thing but unfortunately the arrows detonated in his face in fire.

"Kamui!" he heard Ruby shriek. Things were all fine though because when the smoke cleared he was relatively unscathed expect for some soot being on his clothes. His eyes locked on his assailant who while wearing a mask, was staring at him in what he thought was surprise. Fire did not affect him after all it was his semblance.

"You're the not the only one who knows how to play with fire…" he said as he raised his sword. His assailant pulled her bow back again and her clothing lit up with dust but before she could attack, Ruby appeared behind her and slashed at her. Except the moment her blade ran through her, she shattered…just like that time with…Roman and that girl.

"Kamui behind you!" Ruby shouted and Kamui immediately ducked under a slash meant for his head. He turned mid crouch and tried to slash his assailant but before he could she stopped his blade kicked him in one motion. She was stronger than she looked and sent him across the room. He easily flipped and landed on his feet next to Ruby though.

"Interesting…very interesting indeed…" the woman said as she notched another arrow on her bow and her outfit lit up once again. Except Kamui noticed that the arrow gave off a purple hue. Ruby noticed too since she placed her hand on him and moved them away with her semblance as the arrow was fired. The result was a sort of electrical explosion that short circuited many of the computers in the room.

"Lightning dust and fire dust?" Ruby asked with a small cough. Kamui looked where the assailant was and found that she was already gone, damn, she knew what she was doing.

"Clearly she knew what she was doing…and I think another player in Roman's game was just revealed…" Kamui muttered as he looked around at the mess she made of the CCT. At that point the elevator doors opened as well and Ironwood stormed in with a rifle in his hands. He looked at them and the damage done to the room.

"What happened? Where's the spy?" Ironwood demanded, good he wasn't short sighted to think they caused it.

"She got away, I think she went down the stairs. We think there's another person around her too," Kamui answered. Ironwood threw his rifle into the ground before he reached up to his earpiece to start barking orders to some of his men.

"Are you ok Ruby?" Kamui asked as he looked her over. Besides looking a little roughed up though she looked unharmed.

"Yeah, I'm alright. What took you so long?" Ruby asked as she leaned against him for some support.

"I was checking the second floor and I rushed up here when I heard explosions," Kamui answered, he wasn't really lying now was he? She nodded in acceptance before she fell onto her rear on the ground. Kamui sat next to her as he leaned against the wall with her.

"What a night huh? So much for stealth…I don't think we're cut out for stealth missions," Ruby laughed and Kamui laughed along with her.

"I guess it's true, we always get into trouble. Do you think our missions will go smoothly instead?" Ruby asked. Kamui wanted to say yes but his mother's words rang through his head like a siren. He looked at his girlfriend to see her silver eyes were full of suspicion just like his no doubt were. She knew as well as he did that whatever was going on they were probably going to be thrown right into the middle of it. She'd grown a lot more analytical than she let on. Raven's warnings just confirmed it, whatever was going on was definitely going to get bigger fast and it wasn't going to be good…how fortunate they were able to at least enjoy the dance. There little eye before the storm…


	11. Mission

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone! I know its been a few months since my last update but to be honest I just needed a break from writing. I burned myself out with the last chapters and it just didn't feel the same, plus I had exams coming up. I actually had this chapter finished some time ago, along with two other chapters but I wanted to read over them more. I also needed to think about where I was going to take the story in regards to Volume 3. With RWBY Volume 4 on the way, well I figured it was time to get back to it and I wanted to get something up before the new semester started. Anyway I digress, enjoy the story!

Chapter 10: Mission

* * *

 **Ruby's POV**

Ruby was tapping her feet on the elevator floor as she rode it up to the headmaster's office. She was rather nervous since she knew that they were going to be asking her about what happened at the dance the night before. She knew she probably wasn't going to get in trouble; Ozpin never busted her for any of her actions before. Except maybe he would this time. She was almost certain he knew about her and her friends' little uh…adventures in the past few months. It was hard to miss the epic battles and explosions and of course…Nyx…it was fun though, in a dangerous almost getting exploded and crushed kind of way.

"Don't worry too much, Ruby…they probably just want to ask us about what happened last night," Kamui soothed as he placed his hand on her shoulder. He was accompanying her up since he was involved as much as she was. Well she had a feeling he would have forced his way in regardless. They were practically inseparable now that they were together, despite how embarrassing their friends and family made it. She hoped Jaune and Pyrrha would get together soon so they could take some of the attention. Oum knew that they would be more entertaining to torment for Yang.

"Of course but uh…it still feels like we did something wrong and we're being called to the principle's office," Ruby attempted at humor with a small laugh...which is why she hit all the floor buttons on the elevator. She was totally confident that they weren't in trouble. It's not like they went against rules and protocol at least twice during their time at Beacon and now they had a third mark under their belts. What was the worst that could happen?

Kamui sighed and leaned back against the wall of the elevator. He looked very tired, last night was exhausting after all. He'd probably gotten little sleep like she did but she had cookies to fix her up. She didn't know how he could function without some kind of pick me up. It must be nice to be a Nephilim, he probably had some super human stamina. Then again Nora seemed to be like that too. She wondered what the secret was to limitless energy without sugar.

"It's back to work today…we're going to be getting our missions today. I wonder how I'll be assigned since I don't have an official team. Do you think they'll send all nine of us together?" Kamui asked thoughtfully.

"That would be cool! The best fighters of our year coming together to go smite evil! Weiss will be so proud. Maybe they'll wave sending a professor with us since there will be so many of us going together," Ruby giggled.

"I thought you wanted to see a real Huntsman or Huntress in action," Kamui sighed but in an amused manner.

"Well yeah…but well, I think you qualify as a Hunter…well sort of um…I mean…there's only so many Hunters and Huntresses after all and you're all…ange-ly…" Ruby said meekly and she laughed nervously. She blushed badly and turned away from him, too embarrassed by what she said. She gasped when she felt arms wrap around her shoulders and pull her against Kamui's front.

"Thank you Ruby…that's sweet of you, my little Reaper…" Kamui sighed as he rested his head on top of hers. Ruby blushed badly at the gesture but she enjoyed it as well so she sighed contently, feeling her embarrassment drift away in his arms. Until he suddenly pulled away and forced her to face forward so she could see that they were at the top floor. General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch were standing in front of a desk, staring at them a little oddly while Professor Ozpin, who was sitting at his desk just looked amused.

"You called for us?" Kamui asked as he strode into the room, Ruby in toe. That was embarrassing…they probably saw them having a moment didn't they…they had to, Kamui sounded embarrassed to.

"I'm sorry did we interrupt a honeymoon? Should I call Taiyang to see when you're open?" Ozpin asked off handedly. Kamui flinched and Ruby zoomed in front of the Headmaster and slammed her hands onto the desk desperately. She never moved so fast in her life before unless cookies were involved.

"Please don't! He doesn't know yet! He'll think Kamui is taking advantage of me!" Ruby pleaded without thinking. It was no less true though; her father took overprotection to a new level. When they were younger, Yang was staying at a friend's house for a sleepover and she didn't tell their dad where it was. Turns out there were a few boys there and their dad showed up during the middle of the night, somehow…with their Uncle Qrow. No one got hurt thankfully but it was still scary for everyone, turns out Qrow was there to hold their dad back more than help him reap justice. Ruby shuddered at the idea of him trying to do that to Kamui. She knew he would find out at some point, she just had to push it off for a little longer until she had the nerve to tell him. Then again her father might have to get through Camilla…that would be a fight she wanted to see actually.

"Ruby!" Kamui shouted finally breaking her out of her inner turmoil, he wasn't even trying to hide how flustered he was now. She realized what she was doing and she quickly scooted back until she was behind Kamui, using him as a shield. To be fair at least Ironwood seemed amused now also.

"Ah yes, Taiyang's protection is well known…though that is not what I called you here for. As I'm sure you know we wish to ask you both about the assailant you fought last night," Ozpin explained.

"Of course…well we saw her leaving Beacon and we followed her to the CCT tower. She was wearing a full black outfit and a mask so we didn't see her face. She fought with dust and not just spells but her weapons seemed to just appear and form into her hands from dust," Kamui explained. Ruby chimed in after he finished.

"Her outfit lit up whenever she used her dust as well. Her clothing was lined with dust and she had multiple vials of various dust as well. She was very skilled, I've never seen anyone counter Kamui before like that and I think she could control flames too," Ruby explained. She wished she could have seen Kamui get more into the fight though, there was no doubt that they could have beaten her together, maybe that's why she ran off. Ruby caught Kamui's face cringe at the mention of the women's firepowers. Before Ruby could think on it though, she was interrupted.

"That sounds an awful lot like the woman with Roman when Mr. Legacy and Miss Rose met," Goodwitch said as she snapped her crop into her hand. Kamui and Ruby shared a look, she silently asked if she should prop a certain piece of information through and he nodded slightly in consent.

"Putting dust into clothing is a very old technique, many have access to such a technique. It could be anyone here and we can't just shake down everyone here. Another dead end," Ironwood sighed as he massaged his temples.

"I did manage to hear her say something before we fought though. Kamui wasn't there yet but I think I heard her say something about a base in the southeast outside of Vale," Ruby said trying to be subtle. She noticed the sly look on Ozpin's face though and he stood up from his seat. Then she saw Kamui roll his eyes and she blushed in embarrassment.

"I see. That is very useful, thank you Miss Rose," Ozpin said.

"Yes, thank you both of you. You both acted as true huntsman, you saw something wrong and you acted to the best of your abilities," Ironwood commended and Ruby blushed a little and Kamui nudged her playfully. It wasn't every day that the General of the world's most powerful military complimented them. Out of the corner of her eye though, Ruby noticed Glynda glare at the general's back.

"Speaking of which, I want you two to go fetch the rest of Team RWBY as well as JNPR and bring them all here," Ozpin instructed, followed by a surprised glance from Goodwitch and Ironwood. Ruby felt a little excited, were they going to get some super secret mission? If so she totally called it! All nine of them were going on an adventure together! She kept it inside of course.

"We'll be back in a few moments then," Kamui nodded as he and Ruby both made their way back to the elevator. Except by the time they reached the elevator, Ironwood cleared his throat.

"Actually, we want you to stay here, Kamui. There's something we would like to discuss," Ironwood said. Ruby paused when Kamui did and she looked back at them. Goodwitch seemed to be glaring at Ironwood while Ozpin looked as passive as ever.

"Of course…" Kamui answered back. Ruby looked worriedly at him but he gave her a smile and prodded her into the elevator. He seemed very tense again like he was about to enter the storm. She was tempted to fight to stay with him. It wasn't that she was worried for his safety at least not physically. He'd made it very aware to her how much his mind was weighed down, if it wasn't already obvious anyway and her instincts were screaming at her to stay and help him out. Finding out he was a legend come to life did that to people, she could only imagine how much stress he had.

"Hurry back…" Kamui whispered with a serious tone. Ruby stared at him, his orange eyes were pleading and she nodded as she hit the button for the first floor. He held her gaze as the doors closed and Ruby just felt her heart drop. She pulled her scroll out and called Weiss and Jaune into a group call.

"Mm…what is it Ruby? It's only seven, we don't have class today…the assembly for missions isn't for another few hours…" Jaune groaned as he entered the call.

"What is it Ruby? How did the meeting go?" Weiss asked quickly as she entered the call next.

"Get everyone ready, Ozpin called us to his office and it's urgent. I mean it, I want you guys ready by the time I get there," Ruby commanded using her rare fierce tone. Both her friends picked up on it though and they quickly said some form of comply before they hung up.

"I hope I'm just overthinking things…" Ruby sighed.

 **Kamui's POV**

"So…what do you want to talk to me about?" Kamui asked, as he stood in front of three of the most powerful people in the whole Hunter society. They had been standing there for a least a minute since Ruby left. The only sound coming through was the sound of the warships flying outside of Beacon. Kamui felt a little uncomfortable under their gazes, though he sort of expected it thanks to his mom's warning. It was always awkward talking to people he was on unknown grounds with when they knew his secret…

"Mr. Legacy, we are aware that Raven visited you last night…" Ozpin said simply as he took a small sip of his coffee. Kamui's eyes widened in surprise, his mother was always careful to avoid detection! She never came if she knew she would be detected, she told him herself…unless she knew she was going to be detected and she came anyway. Still though, she said the only one who had a chance of noticing her, was Qrow. It would make sense; she had done that a few times over the years. That was how Qrow caught her once. She only ignored detection to this degree for emergencies though, which in itself was alarming since she was rarely alarmed. The last time she did it was when the safe house he was living in was attacked.

"What of it? A mother coming to check on her son, what's wrong with that?" Kamui asked evenly, trying not to betray any emotion. Of course he knew that he was failing at it. Part of the problem with being Rider of War was that emotion was more inspired than repressed considering anger and enjoyment helped out in fights. Goodwitch and Ironwood seemed a little surprised by his reply but Ozpin of course looked like he already knew.

"Indeed, a wonder why Raven made past choices. What did she tell you?" Ozpin asked and Kamui felt a little cold under his gaze. Ozpin reminded him a lot of Ryoma, cold, calculating and unusually perceptive. He could never figure out what they were thinking but they always seemed to know what he was thinking and that was unnerving.

"She just came to check up on me," Kamui replied curtly.

"Kamui, we aren't mad at you, we're just worried. Do you know who she is?" Goodwitch asked gently, adorning the gentle tone he remembered from years ago. He winced slightly at the memory as the frustration from her indifference to him for months came bubbling up. She once said that she looked forward to seeing him become a huntsman and yet she wouldn't even show him a sliver of kindness or showing that she was happy to see him, aside from initiation. Yes she was his teacher now but would it hurt to show that she at least still cared about him at all? The first hint he got was last night but that wasn't much better. Sure she had often given him looks but she never spoke to him, something he craved more than he originally thought. He bit back his frustration though; it would do no good to get mad at her.

"Yes I know who my mother is or I have an idea. What of it? She's never led me astray before," Kamui said firmly. Goodwitch's eyes widened at his blunt use of mother to describe Raven and she looked a little hurt. Kamui frowned a little since he didn't exactly mean to try and hurt her feelings but he didn't say anything more about it.

"It is quite obvious that last night was not a unique visit to you. Now tell us what else she was there for," Ozpin cut in. Kamui's eyes flickered to Ironwood who stood silent now. Kamui didn't trust the General; he rubbed him the wrong way. Ryoma and Takumi warned him about Ironwood, especially Takumi. His brother worked in the Atlas military but it was more because he wanted to keep an eye on things. While Ironwood was a good man at heart who desired to do what was right for everyone; the way he went about doing it was questionable. He was a military man in every regard. The man certainly wasn't making Kamui feel safe and it didn't help that he knew what he really was.

"I think you already know, Professor. She told me what I am guessing you three are going to tell me when the others get here. You are going to send us on a mission, the nine of us. She told me that I was going to be in command and I didn't understand that until remembering Ironwood. I'm willing to wager that you already knew about the base in the southeast also. So please explain to me what is going on? Because I would love to know what I have stumbled into," Kamui spoke harshly, while he wasn't opposed to the mission, his mother had broken subtlety to inform him of the mission. He wouldn't let his friends, his team walk in unprepared if he could help it.

Goodwitch sighed as she massaged her head, she had been doing that a lot ever since Kamui saw her again. He didn't remember her ever doing that when she took care of Camilla and himself when they were younger. He supposed he couldn't blame her, she had hundreds of students to take care of, hundreds of hormonal students with aura and super weapons.

"He's just a boy, Ozpin. You can't think to put him through that now. I know that you agreed to the plan James crafted but even the other first years are going to have a full huntsman with them. You couldn't at least let them go through a few missions first," Goodwitch said urgently. Then Ironwood chose to speak finally as he cleared his throat.

"Not just a boy Glynda, he's a boy from legends and let me add, he is not human nor Faunus, not fully anyway. He easily has more power stored in him than the average newly graduated Hunter. I have seen what his siblings can do. You know that he has unlocked part of his true power, I say let him learn to focus it. His brother's and his sister have all assured me that he is more than ready. Plus he will have an extra team with him as well. If you doubt their quality than let quantity make up for it," Ironwood countered and Goodwitch glowered at the man, it looked like she was actually going to lash out at him but before she could, Ozpin stamped his cane into the ground. The General and the Professor both ceased and looked to the Headmaster.

"You both bring up good points. Glynda I know you worry for him, I do as well. Ironwood makes a fine point though, Mr. Legacy has a potential that can easily substitute a Hunter... Yet he is still a young boy who may not desire to put himself on such a high pedestal. Under normal circumstances I would agree with you, Glynda. However these are not normal circumstances. Many of our huntsmen are stretched thin as it is. Our students may be called to fill the spots. Meanwhile we have another budding Legacy ready to bloom," Ozpin explained in a somber tone. Kamui was getting annoyed that they were discussing his fate in front of him like he had no say in it. What indeed had he walked into? He was beginning to understand why his siblings wished to shield him from this world. It wasn't really the danger; it was the demands of him because he had power.

"I understand but he is still just a boy. Camilla and Ryoma both said that he still needs to grow. More than that what about Miss Rose and Mr. Arc and their teams?!" Goodwitch pleaded. Ironwood lifted up one of the files on Ozpin's desk and waved it around in front of Goodwitch's face. Obviously it was Kamui's file or one of the others on his team.

"Top of his year in all aspects, enough power to challenge any of the other years and even some young hunters. Only Miss Nikos has the same scores and she will be accompanying him as well. He has a transformation out of the legends. Only Ryoma showed this much promise before and he is two years younger than Ryoma was when he was present here. You both remember how strong Ryoma was. Miss Rose is a prodigy trained by Qrow himself to the extent that she was able to skip two years and I hear she can challenge her upper clansmen as well. Mr. Arc is from the Arc bloodline and may I remind you, is quite the genius tactician from what I've heard. They are the best we can give, the nine are the best the year has to offer," Ironwood reasoned and Goodwitch snapped her crop down onto the desk in anger. It looked like she was about to attack Ironwood again, she raised it at the General rather viciously but the General was not phased.

"Glynda!" Ozpin chided, making her stop and stare at him. He stared her down though and she backed down almost immediately. Her fists tightened and she lowered her head slightly. She looked at Kamui and lowered her gaze in shame, she must have been thinking about it for some time. The white haired rider lowered his gaze. So she really did still care for him, he felt bad for snapping at her earlier. Ozpin's intense expression toned down as he stepped in front of his desk and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I understand, Glynda…we can't protect them forever though. We have to let him and the others grow. I believe Miss Rose and Mr. Arc are ready as well," Ozpin reasoned. Goodwitch nodded softly with a sigh. Kamui didn't know how to feel about this, on one hand he wanted to prove himself but still Goodwitch and his mother both acted like he was going to be thrown to the wolves.

"What are you sending me and my friends into?" Kamui asked and the three turned to him finally.

"The Southeast is home to a failed project, Mountain Glenn. That's where we're sending you. It would make sense for them to have a hideout there. Your orders are to investigate and neutralize any threat there. As the mission Commander you are being given free reign to use whatever means you deem fit to deal with any threat. I am sure you understand what this mission means for you," Ironwood said. Kamui's eyes widened as his hand started shaking slightly. He grabbed his hand though before it got bad. He noticed Goodwitch looking at him sadly and his gaze hit the floor again. On queue the elevator door opened and his friends literally piled onto the ground, literally. The elevator wasn't that big after all; no doubt Ruby demanded they all go at once.

"We're back!" Ruby bounced up from the pile of bodies first and gave a small salute before she sped over to Kamui's side. The rider blushed at her loyalty and subtly over how worried she was.

"That was fun! It was like a human bounce house! Let's do it again!" Nora was the second one to bounce up, dragging Ren up with her.

"Nora no…" Ren groaned as he held her in place.

"Never again…" Weiss agreed as she brushed herself off. The others all pulled themselves together as well and Kamui smiled at them. He could just picture Takumi saying that none of them were worth his time. They were his friends, the ones who made his world so much brighter. Still though unfortunately even their gimmicks couldn't bring his mood up, not when it came to Mount Glenn.

"Well are you telling them or am I doing it?" Kamui asked strictly, adopting a tone that would make Ryoma proud. Everyone got the message from his tone right away and they all stopped their bantering.

"We're sending you all to Mountain Glenn. We are led to believe there is something there. The details of this mission are meant to be discreet though. Officially you're going there to simply clear out the Grimm but your real mission will be to investigate for White Fang activity and if you find them we want you to neutralize them. Kamui will be the commander of the mission and from henceforth you may refer to him as the leader of both your teams. Also due to the shortage of huntsmen, you will be going there without one. We trust you will not prove our faith misplaced, especially you, Legacy," Ironwood explained.

"Understood…" Kamui answered for all of them. No one asked any questions, not even Yang or Weiss.

"Then you may go, your ship is already waiting for you. You'll be dropping in hard drop in pods to avoid detection, its best if you leave now while everyone is getting ready for the assembly," Ironwood said. Goodwitch gave them all a relatively soft look and Ozpin merely raised his mug to them and took a sip as he sat back down in his chair.

"Let's go guys," Kamui said simply as they all made their way to the elevator. The elevator opened and everyone crowded in but there were no complaints for space. Everyone could feel the pressure and the tone just placed on them. Ruby tightened her hold on Kamui's hand but before they went into the elevator he stopped and turned back to the trio.

"One thing…this mission…is it because of what my brother did? Years ago?" Kamui asked evenly but in reality he was shaking inside. Goodwitch didn't meet his eyes and Ironwood didn't even turn to him. It was Ozpin who reacted to the question and it was in a way that would burn itself into his mind for some time. Ozpin frowned and gave him the most depressed visage he had ever seen in his entire life.

"Yes…"

 **Jaune's POV**

Jaune surprisingly didn't feel like throwing up despite the fact that he was in a high-powered airship or warship was more accurate really. They were all sitting in the ship's onboard armory, which was right next to the pods they were going to take. His team sat on one side, silent as the night and Ruby's team along with Kamui sat on the bench across from them. They'd been silent the whole flight so far, even Nora, Yang and Ruby weren't chatting away. The only sounds coming from them were the sounds of people fiddling with their equipment.

Sure they'd talked a little bit on their way to their ship. They avoided practically everyone that would hold them up since everyone was listening to Ozpin's speech in the auditorium. They ran into CFVY, Velvet's team who just returned from their mission. Jaune wanted to talk more with them and he was sure Blake and the others wanted to as well but they just couldn't. They just kept it short and sweet. Kamui hadn't even thought about going to see his family and friends who just came a week ago. He just wanted to leave right away and it leaked over into all of them. He had more influence and authority over them than he would ever give himself credit for.

It wasn't the mission itself that got them this way though. No Jaune knew it was much deeper than that. It was the tone that the Professors and the General gave off, the seriousness they displayed but most of all what had them all on edge was Kamui. The moment Kamui asked their superiors to tell them their mission he sounded…different. His voice was hollow and cold like he suddenly aged a century and he'd lived through war after war. Though when Jaune thought about it he realized that Kamui was still a mystery to him and probably everyone except for Ruby and Pyrrha. Especially the way he asked if they were being sent on the mission because of his brother…what did he mean by that? He sounded even worse when he asked that and Ozpin looked like hell itself had come to his doorstep.

It now occurred to Jaune that maybe Kamui wasn't all warrior honor and humor, he made that mistake with Pyrrha already. Jaune was always disarmed since the Rider was always very kind to them and laughing with them. He always seemed rather cool with everything and a bit eager to fight but Nora and Yang were like that too. Except as he learned with Pyrrha accolades weren't everything. Rather it seemed like that was more of an act or maybe not an act more like he was hiding something…

"Hey…so…Kamui, what happened before we came up?" Jaune asked bravely. Kamui was sitting across from him and his team, messing with his shotgun/rifle. Ruby was wiping her Crescent Rose down with a cloth even though it already looked freshly cleaned. She scooted closer to the Rider as if nudging him to answer and she placed one of her hands on his arm as he still worked.

"Kamui?" Jaune asked. Kamui seemed to be ignoring him. Everyone was starting to turn their attention to him now; apparently they were all just waiting for someone to work up the nerve.

"Kamui?" Ruby asked. Kamui cocked the shotgun back and then he looked down the sight and then he tossed it across to Jaune.

"Whoa!" Jaune fumbled to catch the gun in his hands without dropping it or worse firing it off by accident.

"Ruby told me you performed well with it. It's yours now," Kamui said as he picked up the case he kept it in and held it out to him. Jaune just stared at it though so Pyrrha ended up taking the case with all the tools and ammo in it. It was surreal, sure he thought about having the gun for himself but he always thought Kamui would be too attached to it. Then again he knew Kamui wasn't a fan of using guns, he always preferred the sword.

"That's a generous gift," Weiss noted, did she sound jealous of him? Jaune almost laughed at the irony. He finally started trying to point his gaze away and now she was going to show interest.

"I have another one like it in Mistral. I never fancied firearms too much, too loud and clumsy. Besides my sword can shoot flames for range if need be. Jaune needs it more than I do, he's not good enough with that sword yet to be without range," Kamui replied. Jaune winced at the little jab. He felt like he'd made great strides, the Rider of War would know best though.

"I meant no offense. I just don't want to risk anything. This is going to be different from before. We aren't going to fight in Vale or any kingdom where we'll have backup eventually. This isn't even a normal mission, they didn't say it but this mission was meant for the upper years. I won't have any of you going in unprepared or at least as much as I can," Kamui explained quickly, sounding every bit like the leader Jaune knew he was. His voice had lost the hollow tone at least.

"It did feel like we were being given more responsibility than we should be getting," Blake added in.

"That just means he they think we're that awesome! Or should I say Yangsome?" Yang asked in her usual antics. Everyone groaned, even Kamui looked disturbed.

"Bad jokes aside…what did you mean when you asked the Headmaster and the others about your brother?" Ren asked. Jaune silently thanked him for brining the conversation back onto Kamui.

"It's…complicated. I just have a bad feeling about Mountain Glenn. I'm sure you all know about its history," Kamui explained.

"A failed expansion attempt by Vale to colonize outside of the main kingdom. It was supposed to have an underground system that led directly to the main kingdom. It lacked the natural defenses that the main kingdom had though and was eventually overrun," Weiss summarized. Jaune knew all too well about that, his own father was present during the fall of the city.

"Before any of the Grimm could reach the city, the tunnels were sealed before the people could make it back to the kingdom, making the world's largest tomb," Ren finished. Jaune winced at the though, his father had been present when the order was given to seal the tunnels. He never spoke of it much, just that it was the most dishonorable thing he had ever done.

"Indeed, there is a massive amount of Grimm present at the ruins. Grimm that have been stewing in the anguish left for decades by the echoes of the dead…" Blake added and Jaune shivered at the idea of dying down there. Trying to claw your way back to safety but finding out that it was all in vain, he could only imagine how his father must have felt.

"If there is a base though, I imagine that the White Fang would have cleared out the worst of the Grimm. It can't be that bad," Pyrrha said but Kamui shook his head as he rubbed his hands together. Jaune and surely the others noticed that his hands were shaking, he couldn't have been cold, and he was dressed from neck to toe in armor. No…he was scared…

"Kamui, what's wrong…" Ruby asked as she grabbed his shaking hands with her own. He grabbed her hands back tightly and he nodded to her thankfully.

"No…that's not what I'm worried about…Grimm are evil, vile beings but they are often open in intent. There are things in this world that are far worse…things that are not so open about their intents…" Kamui said in his hollow tone that made Jaune feel like hell had frozen over. What could possibly make Kamui so scared? The guy was war incarnate, he wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything. Then again, Jaune had to remember that he was still only fifteen, he was two years younger than most of the people there, just like Ruby.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as she scooted herself even closer, she might as well have been trying to get on his lap. Kamui let go of her hands and stood up from his seat as he made his way over to one of the screens in the room.

"Is there something down there we should be worried about?" Weiss asked as she stood up as well. Everyone was being distressed; even Nora hadn't seemed to bounce back just yet.

"Kamui?" Ruby asked as she moved next to him as he activated the screen and a map of Mountain Glenn popped up on screen.

"I don't know… not for sure, look…it's not something I want to talk about. Not yet, I need to know for sure first. Please trust me, it's directly tied to me and I can't reveal that just yet… If it's as I fear then I'll tell you…all of it, whatever you want to know," Kamui said as he turned to all of them. Ruby seemed to flinch as did Pyrrha but Jaune wasn't sure why. How much was he hiding from them? Well considering how distressed he was, it probably was life or death for him.

"And if it isn't?" Nora asked finally speaking up.

"Then I'll have been worried for nothing," Kamui said as he tapped the screen. Everyone seemed to accept that since the subject was being prompted to drop. Kamui hadn't proven to be untrustworthy before.

"I say we trust him," Jaune voiced.

"Me too!" Ruby added as she stood in front of Kamui protectively, which was quite amusing since she looked more cute than menacing.

"Agreed, so what else do we need?" Weiss chimed in, helping to change the topic. Kamui gave Jaune and the other two a thankful look.

"So what are we doing for food? Ren did you bring pancakes?" Nora asked, returning to her bubbly self, bless that girl.

"Nora, I won't have time to cook while I'm killing Grimm…" Ren said though he sounded very amused. Yes please anything to get the bad thoughts out of their heads.

"We'll just have to make due with the land and the rations given to us…thankfully I probably won't have to taste that…food…" Kamui sighed and everyone shuddered. The rations given to them were…not the most tasteful food in the entire world. Unfortunately they were small, easy to carry and they would keep them full for some time.

"Ten minutes until we reach the drop zone!" their pilot spoke through the speaker.

"Right so what's the plan, Commander?" Yang asked as she took a better spot in front of the map he brought up. Kamui actually smiled at the title, whether she was joking or not. Ruby seemed to brighten up too thankfully; the poor girl was clutching Kamui like he was about to disappear the whole trip.

"Jaune get up here, everyone else gather around," Kamui commanded. Jaune stood up with his new weapon and approached the map on screen with Kamui and Ruby while everyone else situated themselves where they could see what they were doing.

"Alright, so the ruins are mostly intact so finding places to camp shouldn't be too hard as long as we don't overdo it. Grimm will be all over the place, even if the White Fang wiped out the worst of them there will still be numerous Grimm. The Grimm here will be much stronger than the ones we faced in the Emerald Forest or Forever Fall. The echoes of despair are very strong here and they've been gorging on them for a few decades now," Kamui spoke as he tapped the screen. A scan went over the map and multiple red dots popped up all over the map.

"That's a lot of Grimm," Yang commented.

"Just more toys to break!" Nora added.

"The Grimm won't be a problem," Weiss added her piece though Jaune could tell she was still thinking about what Kamui said. Her eyes met his and he gave a small nod. Yes, he knew there was something more that he was hiding too, ever since he gave them Dragon Vein and revealed a piece of his world to them. How much more did he have to hide? How much more had he shared with Ruby…how much did Pyrrha know for that matter?

"No heroics please, we won't have any support down there. It's just going to be us down there with the Grimm, the Fang and whatever else is down there," Kamui chided though he wasn't condescending.

"It looks like we should drop in here," Jaune said pointing to the center of the ruins, there were few Grimm signatures there. He thought it was the town square, he would have thought the majority would be situated there though.

"Yes, all nine of us will be dropping in on that position. You'll have a few moments to get situated since there are so few Grimm in the area but they'll come running soon enough. First order of business is securing the area and linking up with the rest of the team. Since we'll be under attack almost right away, don't put too much stock into working with who you fancy most, just work with what you get and who you get," Kamui explained. Ruby gave a small pout and he poked her head, making her whine a little. That little adorable act lightened the mood again.

"What happens if we find the White Fang?" Blake asked and that brought pause to Kamui.

"Well we kick their butts of course!" Ruby added, followed by a chuckle from the entire group, she was too cute.

"I don't think we'll run into them right away. If they're trying to hide this close to the kingdom then I doubt they'll come out guns blazing. They'll probably want the Grimm to take a shot at us. Still there is the possibility that we'll run into them and if they are here then we'll meet them eventually and as Ruby said, we'll no doubt have to fight. That…brings me to my next point though…as the Commander of this mission I am giving you guys the clearance to use whatever means you deem fit to take down any threat, Grimm, White Fang or anything down there that tries to hurt you. That includes lethal force," Kamui said and a small chill went through the air.

"Lethal? You mean like break a few bones or cut them a little so they're down right?" surprisingly Nora was the one who asked. Jaune's eyes focused on Kamui and he looked guilty now. He knew exactly what he meant…but did he actually mean that? Jaune looked at Ruby and she was shaking like she'd just seen a ghost. Jaune was probably doing no better himself.

Yang looked like she was just told she had to cut her hair. Nora while still maintaining her energy looked like Ren just told her he'd never make pancakes for her again. Pyrrha looked guilty just like Kamui but other than that she seemed to take it in stride. Ren who was passive through everything had widened eyes. Even Weiss who acted like she had seen everything vile seemed to be at a loss for words.

"No, he means that if you believe you need to, especially if you're in danger, you're aloud to seriously maim or kill the threat, even if they're White Fang or people who pick a fight with us," Blake said evenly, showing a bit of indifference just like Kamui and Pyrrha did.

"Kill? But…we…we can't just…" Ruby tried to say and Kamui took hold of her shoulders and looked in her eyes intently. Jaune noticed Yang looking particularly apprehensive at that, Jaune couldn't blame her, he couldn't imagine one of his own little sisters being told to kill someone if needed.

"Ruby, I am by no means ordering you or anyone to kill any people we come across on sight. I am just making sure your options are all there," Kamui promised as he moved his gaze across the room to make sure they all got the hint.

"But why?" Jaune asked and Kamui gave a small sigh as he pulled Ruby into a hug. Blake shook her head and Pyrrha went over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune…think about it, we're going to be going deep into enemy territory. Only the nine of us, sure the grunts might not be as impressive but there are still more of them, a lot more of them than us. Can you really say that you'll manage to do fine with just trying to knock out or disarm all of them? Also remember that they won't be doing you the same favor, they will be trying to kill you and they're apparently willing to die for their cause," Pyrrha explained gently as Jaune digested the words.

In truth he understood what she was saying. His father had actually talked to him about it before, as Huntsman and also as a knight he would have to fight more than Grimm sometimes. Sure he'd read up on Huntsman killing other people but well…it just sounded…unreal. Jaune tried to imagine sinking his sword into a person instead of a Grimm. A person who might have a family, a person who wasn't a mindless beast, a person who really didn't want to die. Jaune felt his hands start shaking as he stared down at the gun in his hands.

"I…I can see why you would tell us that, just in case…still this seems a bit rushed…" Weiss stammered as she tried to regain herself.

"Sometimes in order to save lives you have to take a few…we're huntsman in training, we are called to protect the people of Remnant not just from Grimm but from people who threaten them. That means we may have to kill some people as well," Kamui said, how could he sound so calm about that?! He was only fifteen! What the hell had he gone through?!

"How can you say that so casually?" Yang asked, getting a little angry. Ruby was still shaking even though Kamui was trying to help her out.

"It's them or us down there, I value your lives more than theirs…" Kamui said so icily he could give Weiss a run for her money and that made Yang flinch. Kamui sighed as he stroked his hand through Ruby's hair; the girl seemed to calm down at least a little.

"I…I think I understand…it's for Remnant," Ruby said shakily and Kamui just hugged her again and kissed her head softly.

"I know…it's ok…I know you'll do what you think is right, I know all of you will…I know it's not an easy choice to make…" Kamui sighed as he stroked her hair again. Then on queue their pilot told them to get into their pods. Ruby pulled away from Kamui with a small smile as she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek before she started leading him towards their pods. The others all seemed to be knocked out of their stupor as well and started filing over to their respective pods but Jaune had to ask something.

"Kamui…you…have you…you sound like you've killed people before…" Jaune said hesitantly. Kamui paused and everyone else seemed to pause with him as he turned to look him dead in the eyes. His smoldering orange eyes seemed to flicker with fire and Jaune's eyes widened as he gave him one of the scariest gaze's he'd ever experienced. It wasn't like all the life had faded from him, like Jaune's father did when he talked about things he wasn't proud of. No, Kamui's eyes lit up in almost a sort of glee, but not exactly, more like a...hunger...

"I am the Rider of War, Jaune…bloodshed comes hand in hand with that..." Kamui said simply as he turned back to his pod and stepped into it as it closed behind him. The fact he sounded normal and looked hungry almost when he said that horrified Jaune more than anything. Jaune shared a look with everyone else but Pyrrha wouldn't meet his eyes and that scared him even more. What the hell had the world come to?


	12. Mountain Glenn

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Call out to xXLeviathan01Xx, thank you. It does feel good to be back. Anyway onto the story everyone enjoy!

Chapter 11: Mountain Glenn

* * *

 **Jaune's POV**

"Ok everyone, we're dropping in now! When you get down there you're on your own until you call for evac!" the pilot shouted through their speaker.

"Understood, everyone get ready!" Kamui shouted. Everyone gave off their own little reply or right as they finished Jaune felt his insides jump as his pod was released. Unfortunately his stomach decided to remind him that he didn't like flying even though he was really falling now. Though he supposed falling was worse even though he was in a pod…

"How about a bet? Let's see who can kill the most Grimm, the two in last place have to do our homework for a week!" Yang shouted over comm.

"Hey! How about you do your own work for once!" Weiss shouted back and a few of the others started arguing. Jaune laughed, happy to get the dread out of his system and get over his airsickness (fallsickness?).

"Where's the fun in that?! I would rather smash some Grimm!" Yang retorted.

"Oh! Ren if you lose you can make pancakes on demand for a week instead!" Nora exclaimed followed by a groan from said boy, the funny thing about that though was that he was on pancake demand even without the bet. Jaune felt bad for him but then again, chances were that he was going to lose so he had to hope Ren would lose.

"One thing is for sure, we're going to celebrate when we get back, how about we go to the most expensive restaurant in Vale? I'll treat," Kamui chimed in with a laugh.

"I know the perfect place and I'll help with the bill!" Weiss replied.

"I want cookies! They have to serve cookies!" Ruby added in.

"There better be steak, cheeseburgers and pizza there, Ice Queen!" Yang shouted followed by the usual "hey" from Weiss.

"And pancakes!" Nora added. Jaune looked out his window as he laughed at their antics and his eyes widened as he saw the ruins coming up. Though it wasn't the ruins he was watching, he could literally see the black spots in the ruins, the Grimm.

"We're about to land! Everyone remember the plan!" Jaune shouted over the comm. as he readied his new gun. He would have to thank Kamui later for giving it to him.

"Go loud as soon as you get out, the Grimm will hear the fighting anyway. Go nuts!" Kamui shouted.

"Right!" everyone replied. Less than a minute later Jaune felt the shock of his pod hitting the ground. The shock and force knocked him around his pod a little even though he was strapped down. Who said these things were safe again? He shook his head out of his stupor though when he heard the roaring of Grimm and the hail of gunfire and fighting following right after. He unstrapped himself and made sure the safety on his gun was off and that Crocea Mors was on his belt. Before he could hit the release hatch though, something rammed into his pod, knocking it down.

"Whoa!" Jaune yelped when he looked up to see that there was a Beowolf trying to claw it's way into his pod. He shook out of his shock though and slammed the release button to his pod. There was a hissing sound that came from his pod at the Grimm seemed confused until the whole front of the pod blasted off, with the Beowolf.

Jaune jumped out of his pod and raised his gun just in time to blow apart a Beowolf. He gagged slightly at the way it sort of scrambled into black and red chunks. The Beowolf he launched off his pod threw his pod door at him and Jaune yelped as he ducked under the door. He pointed his gun at the Grimm and fired at it, catching it's leg. It's leg came clean off as blood spilled from the wound. It was charging at him though when he fired so it came to a skid right in front of him. It growled at him despite it's injury and tried to swipe at him but Jaune was ready. He stamped it with his boot, forcing it down into the dirt as he placed the barrel of his gun at its head and pulled the trigger, splattering its head onto the ground.

"Jaune!" Jaune turned just in time to see a Beowolf in front of him and he let out an unmanly yelp as he stumbled away from it except the Grimm wasn't moving. Then he noticed that the Grim had no head and blood was oozing from where the head used to be. The corpse slumped down onto the ground as it started evaporating.

"Geez, Lover Boy, pay attention!" Jaune looked up to see his fellow blonde standing a few paces away with her arm extended out and her gauntlet smoking from being recently fired, there were also quite a few corpses of Grimm lying around her. He chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Thanks Yang!" he greeted and the blonde just shook her head but she was smiling as she made her way over.

"Invincible Girl must have her hands full with you," Yang joked as she cocked her gauntlets again. Jaune shrugged and turned his attention to the rest of the square. Certainty it must have been quite something before the Grimm sacked the city, the town square was huge. There were the remains of some kind of statue in the middle and there was what looked like fields of…where grass and plants used to be, there were even a few dead trees around. Surprisingly the buildings were in relatively good shape, on the outside anyway.

"Eyes on the fight, Vomit Boy!" Yang shouted and Jaune jolted and turned his gaze back to the fight. There were no Grimm coming at them specifically but he supposed she meant to watch their friends.

"Whee!" at least a dozen Grimm went flying and Nora was in the center of it, swinging her hammer like it was made of paper. He saw Pyrrha pounce from Grimm to Grimm like springboards, stabbing her spear into them as she passed them. Nora was the batter and Pyrrha was the catcher or really the finisher in this setting. When one lucky Grimm got within Nora's guard though, Pyrrha threw Akouo at it, slicing its head clean off like her shield was a saw blade.

"Jaune duck!" Jaune didn't ask questions and ducked without question. He felt the wind wash over his head, knowing it was Ruby. He'd been decked in the back of the head plenty of times in training to recognize any of his friends...still didn't mean he could dodge the hit though. He turned in his crouch to see the little reaper cleave the head off a Beowolf that was standing behind him. Then he heard a few explosions and saw Yang punch a Beowolf clean into a group of his buddies before she launched one of her explosive rounds at the group, incinerating all of them.

"Feel free to kick back and watch if you want to lose!" Ruby shouted as she sprung over him again and hacked three Grimm in half in less than a second before she sped off into a large group of the beasts, flower petals following her as she moved faster than most could see. Jaune shrugged, accepting defeat, there was no way he was going to be able to clear out Grimm as fast as her, her semblance was literally speed. And the others seemed to be cutting through the Grimm just as fast. He still had to fight though so he raised his gun and started firing rifle rounds at any Grimm that were poking out.

"You dunce!" Weiss chided as she literally pierced through the crowd of Grimm around Ruby like a spear, Jaune couldn't help but stare again. There was something akin to an icy aura around her, probably something from her semblance.

"Ice skate!" Ruby shouted and Weiss complied as she stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground and created an icy field around them. Ruby swing her scythe in a circle, cleaving down any Grimm dumb enough to try and take advantage of Weiss's vulnerable state. Apparently Weiss also created something under their shoes because when the Grimm started slipping on the icy, they were able to run or skate around the ice with ease as they hacked or stabbed the Grimm that tried to get them.

"Lover Boy catch!" Jaune turned back to see that Yang had launched a Grimm at him. Before Jaune would have screamed like a little girl but now…now he screamed like a little girl and drew his sword in a perfect outwards slash, cutting the Grimm in half as it passed him. Hey at least he killed it! Months ago he would have yelped and gotten nailed, now he still yelped but at least he killed it!

"Not bad…" Yang laughed as she slapped his shoulder, making him cry out in pain. Yang apparently seemed rather content to watch as well, Jaune felt a little guilty since she was probably just making sure he was safe.

"Hey look at them!" Yang pointed towards Blake and Ren who were doing something akin to something Jaune saw in a show he saw as a kid. Blake had thrown her ribbon part of Gambol Shroud to Ren and she was spinning him around like a flail as he kicked or hacked off Grimm heads with his Storm Flowers. They really were stereotypical ninjas. He looked around for his Rider friend and found him doing his usual.

Kamui was taking on a pack of Grimm that surrounded him much like the rest of them were. There were dozens of Grimm at his feet already like everyone else but he was like a storm of death, actually that wasn't akin to just him, all of them were storms of death really. Jaune never felt more inadequate before then. All of his friends had grown since they started out at Beacon and they were already leagues ahead of him to begin with!

Any Grimm dumb enough to pounce at Kamui were quickly cut in half or dismembered with a flick of his sword and he was barely moving from his spot. He just took small steps out or turned to hack down an enemy, no movement was wasted, he moved with purpose. He was ending every Grimm that came his way in a brutal yet efficient way. His face was calm but determined like everyone else. Pyrrha was the only one who was fighting with the same lethality, not that the others weren't fighting with extreme skill beyond anything Jaune could do.

Kamui held his sword up and Crescent Rose caught on it like a hook as Ruby swung around and booted a Grimm in the face, sending it into one of the buildings. Then she flipped up into the air and landed at Kamui's back and slashed out Crescent Rose in an arc, catching a few Grimm's necks or bodies. The two fought together very well back to back in a way that could only be practiced or meant that they connected really well, it was like a dance of death between the two young fighters. They both fought with grace and ferocity that one could think they were on performance if it wasn't for the weapons they were holding and the blood and body parts flying around them. Jaune felt like this should have been their first dance, not the one at Beacon, it suited them far better than any ballroom atmosphere could.

Except even more Grimm were closing in on the area, they did say that they would get swarmed when they touched down. Jaune grit his teeth as he drew his shield and sword out in favor over his gun as his friends all started getting backed up to each others' backs. Except Kamui and Ruby were out there alone. Jaune grunted as he held his shield up to absorb blows from Grimm as someone like Yang or Blake hacked or pounded the Grimm down. Jaune slashed out with his sword randomly and caught a Grimm's throat before he had to duck down behind his shield again. He cursed as he pumped his aura into his arm supporting his shield. He could practically feel the Grimm on the other side bearing down it's teeth or claws on the shield.

"This is getting a little overbearing!" Blake shouted.

"Speak for yourself!" Yang shouted back. On queue Kamui and Ruby created a sort of opening in the swarm of Grimm so the two could reach them. Ruby had gone through using her semblance and spun herself like a corkscrew with her scythe, cleaving all Grim down in her path, in what would have been a beautiful show if it wasn't blood that was flying around. Kamui followed close behind, any Grimm who even took a step towards him lost a limb or just died from his sword.

"Weiss! Flashpoint!" Ruby shouted. On command Weiss left her position in the sort of formation they had all formed around the statue, landing between Kamui and Ruby as they rained Grimm blood by the galleons. She activated her Glyphs and a large one appeared below the three, Jaune thought he saw something like a clock ticking on the glyph. Jaune saw the three start glowing in a golden light and then in a flash the three were gone. Jaune's eyes widened and before he could blink there was a sudden sound of rending flesh followed by a lot of separate sounds of the same nature actually. He looked around and saw all other Grimm in the area had frozen and gone silent. What? Jaune stopped everything and everyone else seemed surprised too since they had ceased their fighting.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Yang complained. Then in an instant Kamui, Ruby and Weiss appeared in front of the group. Their golden glow faded and the three slowly sheathed their weapons. As soon as their weapons clicked into their places, all the Grimm immediately fell. Whether it was from a stab wound, slash, dismemberment or being cut in half, the result was the same, they were all dead. Blood pooled around them like a heavy puddle of rain and the air wreaked from the evaporating corpses of the Grimm.

"Hey!" Yang and Nora complained from the fact that the three had just stolen all the kills. Jaune would have laughed if he didn't realize they were all covered in blood. Ruby, Weiss and Kamui had it worse though; they were almost drenched in the stuff from their little stunt. How was it that Grimm evaporated but if their blood got on them, it didn't evaporate like the rest of the beast?

"What? It cleared the area," Weiss stated as she tried to wipe some of the blood out of her hair. She had a rather smug look on her face though despite the discomfort over being covered in blood...and only being clad in white. She shivered a bit as she looked down at her white outfit.

"Disgusting…" Kamui groaned as he flicked his arm to get some of the excess substance off of him. Ruby agreed by spitting out blood that apparently got in her mouth.

"Eww!" Ruby whined. Jaune couldn't help himself anymore and started laughing. Everyone else ended up joining in; perhaps they were all just tired from the fighting. Even covered in gore and exhausted from fighting a large horde of Grimm, they still had their humor at least. It was just funny that the first thing the three did was complain about being filthy.

"So…final count?" Yang asked, mischievously.

"Fifty two" Ren said passively as he wiped blood off his weapons.

"Sixty!" Nora said joyfully, not appearing phased by the blood at all.

"Eighty three!" Pyrrha said proudly, the blood actually kind of blended in with her outfit a little though she looked a little discomforted.

"Forty nine" Blake said casually, lucky for her the blood didn't even show up on most of her clothes.

"Uh…twelve…" Jaune whimpered slightly as his head dropped, he knew he was going to lose but not that badly! Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered that she would help him with the homework. Bless whoever decided to give him a partner like Pyrrha.

"One hundred and thirty," Kamui said casually as he tried to whip his armor off. No one questioned the absurd amount of kills he just said; they saw him go one-man army for a time like Ruby and Weiss.

"Ninety nine!" Weiss said proudly as she pulled a little cloth out and tried to wipe the blood off her clothes.

"One hundred! How many did you get Yang?" Ruby asked joyfully despite trying to get blood off of her dress, how'd she get that many and how was it that she happened to get just one more kill than Weiss? Weiss seemed to be thinking the same thing if the steam coming from her head was any indicator. Jaune saw Yang visibly pale and freeze up and he would have laughed if he didn't think she would pound him.

"Uh…um…thirty two…" Yang said nervously and Weiss let out a short laugh as she pointed at her.

"All that talk and you lost!" Weiss mocked and Yang growled and kicked some of the blood at her feet onto her, making the heiress gasp.

"It's because I was busy babysitting Vomit boy here! It's not my fault he stayed away from most of the action, I was protecting the weakling how's that not count for anything?!" Yang shouted. Jaune frowned a little at the jab and Pyrrha immediately elbowed Yang in the side, hard. The blonde yelped but her face lowered when she realized what she said.

"Enough! Night is approaching already we need to make camp before the sunset. We can use that building for shelter," Kamui intervened with authority as he pointed towards a rather tall building. It was made out of stone instead of just brick or wood and visibly looked to be in full condition still. No one questioned him and they all started making their way to the building but they only made a few steps towards it when they all froze.

"Rrrrr!" another one of the scariest sounds ever was just burned into Jaune's mind, he'd been hearing a lot of those ever since he came to Beacon. Everyone froze at the sound as well. That didn't sound like a Grimm's roar…it was too deep and it sounded a little more feral if that was possible.

"Circle up," Kamui commanded and everyone quickly tightened up with their weapons ready.

"What the hell was that?" Yang asked slowly.

"That wasn't a Beowolf or an Ursa…I don't think that was a Deathstalker or a Nevermore either…" Weiss said fearfully. Then more roars similar to the first followed, rocking their ears. When they finally stopped they started hearing a low hissing and growling except it didn't sound bestial…it sound like it was coming from a…person.

"That sounds…like a person hissing and growling…" Ruby said slowly and Jaune nodded.

"White Fang? Have they figured out how to tame Grimm?! Or make their own or create some kind of hybrid between human and Grimm?!" Weiss exclaimed fearfully.

"Impossible!" Blake urged.

"Possible or not, what are we hearing?" Ren asked, ever the calm one.

"We'll just smash it!" Nora proclaimed though Jaune heard the edge in her voice.

"It…Kamui! Is it them!?" Pyrrha asked, urgently. Jaune looked at his friend and saw that he was staring off but more than that his aura was visible.

"They're here…" he said in a hollow voice.

"Who?" Jaune asked. Kamui turned to him and Jaune flinched when he saw that his eyes were glowing.

"Something far darker and more foul than Grimm…" Kamui said simply as he raised his sword in the direction he was looking. Jaune looked and Weiss gasped at what everyone now saw. There was a purple mist leaking into the square, Jaune shivered as he looked at it. It felt like he was staring at the beginnings of hell trying to tear into the world or something like it anyway.

"I want you guys to run…" Kamui said, as he started moving towards the mist. He lifted his sword up and tapped the two spheres furthest from its hilt. They lit up with a yellow glow and the sword changed. The blade lengthened a little and became more curved like a katana. Then the guard lengthened and reformed into a hand guard as well as the blade began giving off a blue glow. The mist seemed to recede for a moment as he approached before it started going forward again, faster than before.

"What?!" Ruby shouted. Kamui held his sword up as more of the mist began to leak in.

"Pyrrha! Take them and get somewhere safe! I promise I'll find you when I am able!" Kamui ordered as he walked towards the mist slowly. His aura began flaring more and his sword ignited with his flames. He stabbed it into the ground and created a line of fire between him and the purple mist. The mist seemed to flinch back when they reached the flames like it was poison.

"Everyone! Let's move!" Pyrrha shouted as she grabbed Ruby's hood before she could rush after Kamui.

"Hey! Let me go!" Ruby screamed. She seemed to thrash even more as Kamui got closer to the mist. The hissing and growling only seemed to intensify as Kamui closed in like whatever it was, was coming was after him specifically. Actually Jaune was beginning to think that was true with the way he was acting. Jaune would have done the same thing, well...if he had the power to fight alone anyway…

"Pyrrha! What's going on!?" Yang demanded but she helped the redhead and wrapped her arms around Ruby, restraining her.

"We have to go now! Kamui promised he would catch up but now we have to move!" Pyrrha pressed as she started prodding everyone to start moving towards the exit of the square where there wasn't any weird purple mist.

"Is it what Kamui was talking about before?" Weiss asked but she helped Pyrrha prod the rest of the group back.

"Yes…" Pyrrha said simply as she and Yang hauled the struggling Ruby away. Jaune looked back at his friend who was facing down whatever was coming alone. Kamui was strong, one of the most powerful people Jaune had ever seen…yet for some reason it just felt like he was in danger. It felt like whatever he was facing was actually a threat to him. He certainly acted like it was.

"We can't just leave him…" Jaune said, feeling compelled to charge in and help him. Kamui had stuck his neck out for him and everyone else there more than once in the past months. He deserved to be aided.

Yes! We can't leave him! Let me go!" Ruby screamed as she helplessly struggled against her stronger sister and Pyrrha. She looked like she was about to cry and it broke Jaune's heart a little to see that. Kamui was her boyfriend now after all; she didn't want to leave him. Everyone else seemed as reluctant to leave as well.

"DO you trust him? You said you would all trust his decisions. He is our commander and he gave us a command," Pyrrha reminded them all. Jaune froze at that as he looked back at Pyrrha's green eyes. He looked back at Kamui who was about to enter the fog before he turned back to Pyrrha and he saw that everyone was looking at him. They were waiting on his word? Well he was a leader and Ruby was clearly a bit too unstable now. He sighed and shook his head.

"Fine…let's move, we will be having answers after this though," Jaune answered for everyone. Everyone kicked into gear on his word and they started filing out of the area. Jaune threw a look back at Kamui as his black aura began flowing and he saw an outline of some kind of giant figure in the mist approaching his friend right as his sight of it was cut off.

"Keep moving!" Pyrrha shouted as they sprinted through the ruins. Yang had taken hold of Ruby herself now, hauling the still struggling girl onto her shoulder so she wouldn't hamper their movement too much. Jaune couldn't blame her, the roars were coming back and they could hear the sound of flames being spewed.

"Let go of me! Yang damn you!" Ruby beat her hands against Yang's back as tears freely flowed down her cheeks. Jaune wished he had ordered them to stay and fight with Kamui but damn it he chose to trust the rider. He better have answers for all of them afterwards.

"Look it's Nyx!" Blake shouted and Jaune looked up to see the black dragon swoop in around where Kamui was. She let out a loud roar as she breathed fire down onto whatever Kamui must have been fighting. There was a loud screeching sound following the flames, followed by one of the most terrifying roars Jaune had ever heard but it wasn't from Nyx.

"Stop!" Pyrrha shouted and everyone came to a skidding stop. Jaune looked on and his eyes widened as he saw the purple mist from before leaking out in front of them. Except this time there was something that stepped out from it right away.

"What the hell…are those?" Jaune asked. A figure that had to be at least seven feet tall stepped out into their way. The figure was humanoid looking but it was anything but. It was cloaked in tattered white robes and Jaune could make out pale rotting flesh underneath. The head was covered by some kind of metal helmet that obscured the head completely. Around it were a bunch of humanoid figures but the terrifying thing was that they actually looked like people. Many of them were clad in old armor, hefting weapons as if they were…corpses of soldiers who fell in battle. The ones not clad in armor were wearing simple clothing and horrifyingly enough they still had skin like they were alive. They all had glowing red eyes like the Grimm but they were moving around like they were undead…

"Damn…so they're after all of us…most of them must be fighting Kamui though…" Pyrrha cursed as she raised her weapons.

"What are those things? Are they undead?" Jaune asked fearfully as those things started closing in on them. He'd seen enough horror films and video games to know what zombies looked like but these looked a lot scarier!

"In a manner of speaking…we'll have to fight them, regardless…" Pyrrha said as the undead began walking towards them slowly.

"Ok…what do we do?" Ruby asked as she hefted Crescent Rose and stood next to Pyrrha. Apparently she had accepted that Kamui told them to leave but her red eyes told Jaune that she probably just needed to vent. It never occurred to Jaune how much Ruby cared for Kamui already. He underestimated the naivety of her feelings for the Rider and Kamui was probably the same.

"The big one is summoning the smaller ones, it's the one giving off the mist. If we take that one out the rest of them should drop or at least they won't keep coming. They're weak to fire, Yang and Weiss that's you," Pyrrha explained as everyone lined up.

"Ok then…Yang and Weiss you guys focus on the big one, the rest of us will fight the smaller ones and help out with the big one if we have the time," Jaune ordered, it was a simple plan and he thanked Oum that plans could come easily to him. How was the stress not driving him crazy? He had no idea, with everything crazy that was going on lately especially. Ruins with ties to one of his best friends, failing at the kill count, weird mist, Kamui ordering them to run and them running into some kind of undead creatures? How had any of them not been driven crazy lately?

"Let's go!" Yang shouted as she fired her explosive rounds at the foes. The enemies didn't even bother dodging the blasts; they just kept coming as they were struck. Many of the smaller creatures had limbs or full sections of their bodies blown off and Jaune felt like retching since they apparently still had blood in them and it splattered or gushed out from the wounds created, no aura either, they didn't evaporate like Grimm, they sort of melted into the ground. Many of them fell down and stopped moving, specifically ones who lost their head or had a large section of their chests gouged out. The ones who only lost an arm or leg just kept coming at them mindlessly. One thing that Jaune noticed though was that they seemed to be trying to protect the large one, whatever that thing was, they all acted as meat shields when Yang fired her blasts. As disconcerting as everything was at least the fire thing was correct. These…things were hissing now that fire had been inflicted on them.

"The head or the body…everyone got that, attack those!" Jaune commanded, shakily. Everyone else was a little disturbed as well except for Pyrrha, which Jaune shuddered at. If Pyrrha and Kamui had known each other for years…how much stuff had they really been through? They must have been very young since Pyrrha was a walking celebrity; there was no way she would have gotten away with anything recently, so how far back did everything go?

"They're not people, not anymore. They have no aura, they have no soul! Do not hesitate they're already dead and are being reanimated!" Pyrrha shouted before she dove in. She sliced off the head of one of the creatures without flinching. She didn't bother waiting to see it evaporate though before she started attacking the next one.

"Let's go!" Ruby shouted as she used Crescent Rose as a thruster and sped into the fray, slashing down at least three of the strange creatures with a massive swing.

"Wait you dolt!" Weiss shouted as she charged in after her partner, skewering one of the monsters in the chest but it didn't drop and reached up to grab her wrist. Weiss tried to pull away but the thing had her in its grasp.

"Weiss!" that drove everyone else into action. Jaune charged forward sword raised but his assistance wasn't needed. Weiss had activated the fire dust in her sword and ignited the monster before she wrenched her blade free from the screeching creature.

"Filthy barbaric creatures…" Weiss said, disgusted as she wiped her hand. Jaune closed in and shield bashed another creature that was walking towards Weiss. The creature went flying away and Jaune swung his sword at another, slicing it's head in half.

"Guess you didn't need help at all, Snow Angel," Jaune joked, in order to ignore the fact he was hacking up people. Weiss seemed a little put off judging by her annoyed expression but at least she didn't reprimand him. In fact she seemed to be a little amused. Ever since the dance, Weiss had been a little nicer to him, Neptune told her he had gotten them together apparently.

"Of course not! Now worry about yourself Jaune," Weiss said as she turned back to the battle. Jaune sighed as he raised his shield up to face the incoming threats. Then he realized she called him by name and he smiled softly before he had to block an axe with his shield. He pushed it off and slashed out with his sword on reflex for the head. He shuddered a little as his blade easily cut through the flesh of the neck and the head fell as blood spurted from the stump. It was different, he was cutting up people now.

"Stop thinking about it Jaune! They're not alive anymore!" Pyrrha screamed as she moved in front of him and blocked a strike meant for his face. Jaune flinched but he turned back to face the onslaught. Thankfully these enemies were just numerous, not really strong. Still the issue was that they had to practically destroy them in order to keep them down. Jaune bit back the urge to vomit and kept hacking down enemy after enemy until they all managed to cut the number of them down faster than the big creature could spawn them. It still stared at them or Jaune thought it was staring at them, he couldn't see it's eyes.

"That was…interesting…" Ren said as he shrugged his guns to get the blood off. Still the usually passive guy was looking unnerved and he looked better than most of them. Only Nora and Blake were holding up well and Pyrrha looked unaffected. Ruby was shaking a little, having gotten over her need for battle as she realized they all hacked up people, controlled dead or not they still did it after all. Jaune shuddered again as he looked at the creature responsible for it all.

"Hit it Princess!" Yang shouted and Jaune saw her and Weiss shoot their flame projectiles at the big creature, whatever it was. There was a loud explosion followed by a loud scream. It felt like Jaune's eardrums were going to split when he heard it and he also noticed it sounded the same as the roar they heard when it all started.

"What the hell is that thing!" Yang shouted as the creature stormed through the smoke, screaming at them like some banshee. Everyone dove out of the way but Pyrrha had to yank Jaune out of the way. The creature charged past them like some kind of bowling ball and it skid to a stop before it turned to and swung it's big arms at them. Chains extended from the long sleeves covering the arms and Jaune raised his shield up over Pyrrha to block the strike, except it sent him into one of the buildings, hard and he heard something crack followed by a sharp pain in his chest.

"AH!" Jaune groaned as he slid to the ground and by the point he got his bearings his eyes widened as he was slammed against the wall again, by one of his friends. Specifically Weiss had used him as a pillow for the wall, at least he managed to catch her even if his back was killing him again.

"We got to stop meeting like this…" Jaune joked and Weiss slapped him before she got off of him though he did notice her blush and even look a little worried. Jaune got onto his feet as well and shook himself off and he yelped as he ignored the pain in his chest and rolled to the side as the creature slammed into the building behind him. He decided to be bold and he stabbed his sword into it's leg before it knocked him away with one of it's arms.

"Jaune!" Jaune suddenly stopped in midair and he was righted and placed on the ground. He shivered slightly and he nodded his thanks to Pyrrha.

"What the hell is that?!" Yang shouted and Jaune turned to look at the fellow blond and she was staring at his sword. He looked down and saw that it was covered in blood but the blood wasn't normal, it was a darker color like ink had been mixed into a normal person's blood.

"What the hell is that thing…" Jaune said as he stared at the creature.

"Blake! Weiss! Now!" Ruby shouted as she fired a few rounds from Crescent Rose at the creature. The rounds sank into it's back but it seemed just to annoy it.

"Go Blake!" Weiss created a glyph under the black haired girl that empowered her abilities. Then in an instant she moved in a blur and a large gash appeared across the creature's chest. It let out a loud shriek again and suddenly it stuck it's hand out and caught Blake in it's clutches.

"Ah!" the Faunus thrashed around in its hold as she stabbed Gambol Shroud into it's hand but the thing refused to release her.

"Blake!" Yang shouted as she charged in, her semblance running free.

"Nora! Ren! Back her up now!" Jaune quickly ordered and without hesitation his two teammates charged in after Yang. Pyrrha moved to go in as well but Jaune quickly grabbed her arm.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Get Ruby and hit it from behind while the others distract it. I'll try to draw it in, I don't know what you're hiding but I trust you know how to kill it quickly, I'll give you the shot you need," Jaune panted, ignoring his own pain. Pyrrha hesitated but she sighed and nodded before she ran off, calling Ruby to follow her. The little Reaper followed her without question and Jaune turned to see Yang and Nora pound away at the large creature. Their strength had an effect and the thing crumpled a bit and released Blake, who was caught by Ren. The creature swiped out at the two overpowered girls but they easily got away from it's strikes and chains.

"Weiss, I don't suppose you can use one of those glyphs on me can you?" Jaune asked as he adjusted his shield on his arm. The heiress looked at him for a few moments before she nodded.

"Only one more, I hope you know what you're doing," Weiss said as the creature began ignoring the blows done to it by the four fighters. Ren and Blake were keeping back, shooting it with their guns as Yang and Nora beat against it viciously. While the damage was becoming apparent, it didn't seem to stop the creature at all. It just kept trying to swipe at them.

"Do it now!" Jaune commanded Weiss and she created a gold glyph under him like she did with Blake. Jaune gasped slightly as he felt power surge through him like never before.

The creature seemed to lock in on him and it started coming after him, sensing the power. Jaune steeled himself and when the creature was upon him he raised his shield as the creature's fist collided with it. Jaune didn't really feel the impact even though he knew it happened. He watched the creature reel back as a sort of glow came from behind Jaune's vision, or was it coming from him? Regardless the bigger concern was that the creature just lost the fist it hit him with, all the way down to it's elbow. The only thing left was a bloody stump.

"RRRRR!" the creature shrieked again, this time pain was clear in it's wails. Then before anything else happened there were two loud slashes and Ruby and Pyrrha appeared on either side of the creature, weapons covered in its blood. The creature's wails ceased and it's head slowly rolled off as the body fell to the ground in a heap with a loud thud. Then the remains started melting into the ground, rather fast, the purple mist it was exuding was leaving as well. Jaune released a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he suddenly felt really exhausted, thankfully that mist didn't seem to have any adverse effects on the living.

"We killed it?" Weiss asked as she pulled one of his arms over her shoulder to support him and he nodded his thanks to her. He looked down to see that his chest plate had been cracked from the blow he suffered and he thought he broke a few ribs from the pain in his chest. Everyone pooled around them and they all looked a little shaken by what they just faced.

"Yes, it's dead," Pyrrha said as she hit her spear against the ground. She still looked the least disturbed out of everyone, she didn't even look shaken at all really like she'd seen those things before, which Jaune was really believing she had now.

"Those weren't…Grimm…" Blake noted as she scanned the area around them. Jaune realized that the roars and growling they were hearing before had died down a bit. Jaune didn't hear Nyx anymore either, did that mean Kamui was okay then? Or was he…

"What were they then?" Yang asked as she placed her hands on her hips. Jaune turned his gaze to Pyrrha who was staring off in the direction they came from, probably worried about Kamui. Still…now that they were in relative safety, it was time for some answers.

"Pyrrha? What were those things?" Ruby beat Jaune to the punch line. Pyrrha turned to her and Jaune saw conflict rain across her visage before she put on a stony gaze.

"What are you hiding from us? What are you and Kamui hiding?" Ren chimed in. Everyone rounded in on the Spartan and she averted her gaze before she sighed.

"It's…not for me to say…Kamui has to decide to tell you, I promised," Pyrrha said gently and Yang seemed not to accept that.

"What?! We all just had to fight something out of a storybook horror story and you obviously know something about it but you won't tell us? I think we have a right to know now since we just got attacked!" Yang demanded and Pyrrha's eyes hardened but before she could reply they heard a few shrieks of pain. Jaune's eyes snapped to behind Pyrrha and he saw a large firey explosion come out of the alley they came from. Then there was the sound of a sword slashing through flesh and the corpse of another one of those large creatures with metal masks fell out of the path for them to see. It was covered in slashes and burns.

Then there was a series of roars that followed that display and purple mist began pooling into the area again. Jaune's heart rate picked up and he felt Weiss tense as well. Everyone else readied their weapons as three more metal faced creatures stepped out for them to see followed by dozens of their little minions. Pyrrha raised her spear and brought it back to throw but she paused and Jaune heard her chuckle.

Flames exploded, literally exploded and poured into the area like water might. Specifically the flames poured out from the alley the corpse fell from. The flames engulfed the corpse and the three creatures roared as their little minions charged in only to be engulfed by the flames, incinerating them, not even leaving ashes. The three creatures roared hatefully but they didn't charge in. The purple mist receded from the flames like before. Jaune heard footsteps, loud ones coming from the alley and everyone else seemed to perk up as well.

"It's Kamui!" Ruby shouted joyfully as she hopped around on her feet happily.

"It is?!" Yang asked in surprise and Ruby slapped her hand over her mouth and Jaune heard Weiss sigh in annoyance. Well there went that secret, right out the window, at least Jaune didn't blow it that time. Still, Jaune felt rather happy that his friend was there with his fire semblance; these things hated fire apparently as Pyrrha said.

"Thank goodness…" Pyrrha breathed.

"How much dust does he have in that sword?" Blake asked, intrigued. Jaune winced at that, there definitely were a lot of flames for a sword with flame dust. Even Weiss's shows weren't this hectic, it looked too controlled to be dust. Blake and Ren would probably figure it out at this rate. Still, there were better things to worry about. Jaune was about to shout out to his friend but it fell on death ears when he saw a figure step out of the flames…it wasn't Kamui.

To put it lightly the figure that stepped out of the flaming alley was something out of a legend, literally. The figure was over his height if he was any judge. Clad from head to toe in black armor that looked like it somewhat had a scaly texture. The armor style was like a cross between a knight and some kind of demon knight. The…thing walked through the flames like they weren't there to him, even his cape wasn't catching on fire. Jaune shivered as the thing turned its head to them, the helmet obscured the figures face but he could make out two glowing smoldering eyes looking at them…wait.

"Is that…Yato?!" Blake asked and Jaune's eyes landed on the weapon the black knight was wielding. It was definitely Yato, anyone would recognize the golden blade anywhere but it wasn't in a form Jaune recognized. The blade was giving off a flaming aura and all four of the spheres were alight with a hellish glow. Jaune blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things and he just saw a single sword glowing like it was on fire but it wasn't…

"Is that…" Weiss sounded scared and Jaune couldn't blame her, he was shaking too. That was Kamui?! It looked nothing like him! It was a complete one eighty from what he was always wearing and he grew a few inches too. Ruby and Pyrrha looked relaxed though despite the hellish appearance of their friend. Jaune looked at everyone else and saw that they were just as shocked as he was and a little scared. That had to mean Ruby and Pyrrha knew…right?

They watched as the black knight turned his head back to shrieking metal-faced creatures. He appeared unaffected though by their attempts to intimidate him. He pointed his hand out to them and the flames surrounding him immediately shot forth and engulfed the creatures before they could react. One of the creatures fell to the ground and got burned down but the other two, who were much bigger didn't go too easily. The biggest one charged at Kamui despite the flames while the other one charged past the demon knight, after Jaune and the others. The knight let him pass and stepped to the side and kicked the bigger creature away. Before Jaune could watch more though he focused on the creature coming right at them!

"Hiah!" suddenly Pyrrha's spear was impaled in the burning creature's masked face. It reeled back from the blow and Pyrrha jumped onto it's shoulders and wrenched her spear free. Then she turned it into its sword form and slashed the head off of its shoulders easily and flipped off of the corpse as the flames engulfed it completely.

"RRRR!" Jaune's eyes snapped back to Black Knight who had apparently impaled his sword into the other creatures gut while he was watching Pyrrha. The creature reached with one arm towards the black knight, refusing to die even though it was impaled and burning. The knight just grabbed the arm and literally ripped it clean off before it smashed the limb into the creature's head. Jaune winced at the sound of ripping flesh as the knight ripped his sword free and brutally drove it into the creature's head, there wasn't even any blood, it was like his fire was burning it before it could go anywhere. The creature finally died though when the sword sunk into its head and the flames engulfed it completely.

The black knight ripped his sword from the creature and sheathed the blade at its hip. It turned its gaze towards them again and everyone flinched. Jaune felt Weiss shaking even though they figured out it was Kamui. The flames all disappeared as the hellish knight began walking towards them. As Jaune looked at him he couldn't help but feel in awe, he was really looking at something he would expect the Rider of War to look like. Black Aura began swarming around the black knight until they couldn't see him anymore and then in a few moments the aura dissipated and in the black knight's place stood Kamui, the way they last saw him. His face held a serious look though and his hand still rested on his sword, no one spoke until he was right in front of them.

"We need to talk…"


	13. Truth

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone! I have some good news and bad news. Good news is that you got a new chapter relatively fast even if it was a little shorter than usual and I have an idea of where I am going to take the story in regard to at least Volume 3's ending. Last part of the good news is that hopefully I can reach the ending of Volume 2 and do my little bits of interlude before I get to Volume 3. Bad news is that college is here and I am trying to learn a different language so it's going to be a little harder to pull myself away from my studies to work on this story. I would like to finish this story before Volume 4 starts but we'll see where the future takes me.

To xXLeviathanXx: I really do want to let Jaune get more involved with the fighting as well but I keep him back because I really want to try and show off the rest of the cast during the fights and he's the best one out of the three POV's to show it. Don't worry; I'll be sure to give him his due however I can. He deserves to get some action in the fighting spotlight.

Now then everyone enjoy and feel free to message me or review if I made a glaring mistake or if you just have some questions about things that don't make sense.

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Chapter 12: Truth

 **Kamui's POV**

Kamui and his team were all in their makeshift camp now; they were using one of the old buildings as their sanctuary. The buildings were still sturdy after all and provided good cover. It wasn't hard to set up shop either since there were plenty of things in the building to use as firewood. Kamui was also a living lighter anyway; he just had to point and snap, flames. Someone let it slip what his true semblance was so there was no point hiding it now. Kamui knew what was coming though, everyone held off on everything since they were more focused on getting to safety, plus Jaune was hurt.

"OW!" Jaune yelped as Kamui tightened the bandages around his chest as Pyrrha held him in place. The blonde knight had broken at least two ribs and probably bruised the other ones. He was lucky that his aura reserves were so large, yet he couldn't suck up the pain of patching him up apparently.

"Stop whining, you're the one that got hurt, it has to be tight so that your bones stay in place so they can heal correctly," Kamui chided as he tied the bandages up so they were set. Jaune grumbled a little as he pulled his shirt back over his chest and his hoodie. Kamui sighed and put the rest of the medical supplies in the first aid and he noted Pyrrha's blush but he was too nervous to tease her. He picked up Jaune's chest plate, which had cracked badly, the thing felt like it was about to fall apart.

"You're lucky, if you weren't wearing this armor you probably would have suffered a more serious injury. You're lucky you have such large aura reserves too, if someone like Weiss took the hit…" Kamui sighed as he placed the armor in front of the blonde who looked at it longingly. An idea formed in the Rider's head as he watched his friend but he sighed since he knew that everyone was probably waiting on him.

"Alright…" he sighed as he turned to everyone, who were indeed looking at him, expectantly. Ruby was close to him, as always, trying to give him her support, which was gravely needed. Ren and Blake were eyeing him warily, while the others were trying to be a little more subtle.

"Kamui, you don't have to do this…" Pyrrha said as she stepped up to his other side, Kamui nodded to her though and he chuckled a little when he realized that he was now at the same height as Pyrrha now if not a little taller. It had been months since he started at Beacon after all. She'd always tried to shield him, like a good retainer, one who protects their lord above all else, she was like another big sister to him actually.

"A promise is a promise, what kind of Lord would I be if I treated my word like the mortals…" Kamui said bitterly, not bothering to hide his thoughts now. Everything would be revealed to his group now, for better or for worse.

"Mortals?" Weiss asked. Kamui waved his hand though as he took a seat in an old chair, Ruby claimed the chair next to it. Pyrrha pulled Milo out into its spear form and everyone seemed to tense when she planted its shaft into the ground.

"I'll get to that soon enough…as I said a promise is a promise…ask your questions," Kamui said. Everyone seemed a little surprised by how open he was; to be honest he was too. Blake asked the first question.

"What were those things?" she asked.

"The big creatures you saw with the metal helmets are called Faceless…vile beings of shadow. They hold little else but madness inside them, they are monstrous beings that corrupt everything around them, even the dead as you saw. The smaller ones you saw were Risen, as the name implies they're corpses brought back for one purpose, to serve the Faceless and kill whatever they can find," Kamui answered simply. They all seemed to digest the words slowly though Kamui knew they would ask more so he cut it off.

"There is a difference between them…Faceless…they were never human or Faunus, they were never mortals. They used to be more than just husks of madness…now they're shells of their former grace…I'm sure Pyrrha told you they hate fire? Fire can cleanse and they hate that immensely, so in turn they probably don't like me too much, because of my powers. I'm sure you've figured out by know that I can control flames," Kamui sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. It was such a chilling story and he hated it. Ruby tightened her hold on him and he sighed contently. The others were shuffling about uncomfortably. He wouldn't tell them anymore than that about them, they would have to figure that out.

"You spoke of your brother and his tie to this place, what is it? What does it have to do with those creatures?" Ren asked, being perceptive as always. Kamui sighed as he saw Jaune wobble over to the fire carefully. Surprisingly Weiss helped him sit down comfortably. Kamui was going to remember to push Pyrrha later otherwise Weiss might beat her in the game for Jaune's heart. The Schnee was beginning to see that Jaune wasn't some perverted jerk after her money. If Pyrrha wasn't careful Weiss might actually start growing an interest in the blonde outside of simple friendship.

"Kamui, we deserve to know the truth now," Jaune said and Kamui sighed.

"In order to understand I have to tell you everything. You know already…do you know anything about my brother, Ryoma? Do you know anything about who he was before everyone started calling him a monster?" Kamui asked evenly. Everyone paused at that and Kamui felt his anger spike, so people had decided to wipe his brother's past completely off the record just because of one thing. No one ever remembered who he really was; they only remembered him for that one act.

"He was a hero…" Jaune said slowly and Kamui smiled. That's right Jaune had sisters who went to school with his brothers. He vaguely remembered three girls with the same blond hair that Jaune possessed.

"Indeed, he was top of his class in all regards. As I said before, he went to school around the same time as many of your parents or relatives did. His classmates hailed him as a hero; even the other schools were in awe of his abilities. Everyone in Beacon admired him even if they were his enemies by nature or not. Team STRQ was especially close to his team. He had a team too…though not anymore…do you know why?" Kamui asked. Everyone felt a little uncomfortable, it was obvious that Kamui was rather fond of his brother and they didn't exactly share their outlook on him.

"He…got them all killed…" Weiss said slowly.

"Yes…they all died under his lead. Do you know how and why?" Kamui asked but no one answered. How typical, even that truth was kept from the public to paint his family bad. Kamui hated the governments of the four kingdoms so much for their slights against his family. They were jealous of the power they held, how fitting that they often held their fates in their hands without them even knowing.

"It was a big mission, he was a full hunter already. He had his own team along with two other teams with him. Team STRQ was one of them and the other team was led by one of Jaune's sisters, Sophtia. They were sent here, to Mountain Glenn to attempt to clear it…" Kamui explained and everyone's eyes widened, especially Jaune's.

"Sophie never told me that…" Jaune whispered and Kamui laughed bitterly.

"Of course she didn't…she was probably too ashamed to…my brother was against the plan, adamantly. I will tell you the truth of Mountain Glenn and my brother. My father, years before when Mountain Glenn was first built had spoken out against the construction to the Counsel of Vale. Except the Council didn't listen at all…they still went ahead and built the town, ignoring my father's warnings. Do you know why my father was so adamant with his case? Because those Faceless were here…they built their city on an ancient burial site and disturbed powers they didn't understand. They said it was Grimm and true Grimm did have a part in the sacking but the Faceless and of course the Risen were the first domino that fell and led to the destruction of this settlement. Vale closed off the tunnels to hide their mistake and save face so there would be no proof that my father was correct…" Kamui said bitterly as his hand crushed the armrest of his chair. Everyone took the news rather shocked but he didn't see any doubt in their eyes, good they trusted him.

"What? I've never heard of that! My father was there, he…was ashamed…" Jaune went off as he no doubt slowly realized that his father was shamed.

"Yes, Jaune, your father was one of the people who ignored my father's warnings, he publicly renounced his warning too. Ryoma and his group were being sent in to clear out the site in hopes of reclaiming territory but while Vale had forgotten why it failed, Ryoma hadn't. My brother was against the mission taking place to begin with but the council threatened to send STRQ and Sophitia's team in without his team. So Ryoma came here…to this tomb and they found the Faceless like those that died here before…and all the people that died here were now the Risen, servants of the Faceless…" Kamui explained bitterly, he hated the council for what they did, a sentiment that his entire family shared. That was why they refused to be truly bound to any of the kingdoms. They just let them think they were in relationship where they needed each other.

"So he went to try and protect them?" Ruby asked, and Kamui sensed admiration in his girlfriend's voice and he nodded but he didn't smile back.

"Things didn't go as planned did they?" Weiss asked and Kamui nodded.

"That's putting it lightly, while they easily cleared the Grimm on the surface…it was a disaster as soon as they tried to clear out the tunnels underground. Ryoma was able to pull STRQ and SARN out alive…but it cost him his own team…they say he abandoned them but it wasn't that simple and no one understood exactly what he sacrificed. His team…they were more than his team, they were his retainers…sworn to protect him to death if need be, but it was more than that, they were his friends, people who had grown up with him basically…they knowingly sacrificed themselves for him and the others…Winter was in charge of the force sent to reinforce them but by that point Ryoma pulled the plug and gave the order to retreat…" Kamui said gently as his fist tightened at the memory of Ryoma's team. He vaguely remembered Ryoma's team. Saizo, Kagero and Niles…poor Nina cried so hard when Ryoma came home with the news, she was barely six at the time.

"Why didn't Ryoma stay to die with his team then?!" Yang shouted as she slammed her hand into a desk that was next to her, shattering the old wood easily. Kamui's gaze lowered and he sighed, everyone who knew the truth had asked that same question but they knew the answer, they just wouldn't accept it.

"Because…he was too important to die…our family depended on his survival at the time…our servants all understood that. We had already lost our parents at this point and Camilla and I were still children and Takumi was still in school. Plus…Ryoma couldn't have stayed and fought without revealing a secret that would endanger our entire family. I'll explain why. Do you know why I held the name Azure when you first met me?" Kamui asked quickly. Everyone was in a bit of a somber mood now. Ruby was still holding him comfortingly and she was staring at him, waiting for him to continue. Pyrrha hadn't moved from her spot, she knew everything already.

"What secret?" Ren asked and Kamui held his hand up, telling him to wait.

"You'll find out in time…now answer my question," Kamui promised.

"No…I doubt anyone except for Ruby and Pyrrha know," Jaune said firmly, holding onto his leader persona. Yang was still tense and Weiss looked troubled. Blake and Ren were still watching perceptively as always and Nora was just watching everything worriedly.

"I had that name because when we lost our parents we had to go into hiding…my father was betrayed and the ones who did it knew my family's secret. To put it lightly I was being hunted, me and Camilla both. I took the name Azure for two reasons, the first was because it was my father's favorite color, the second was because I had to go by a different name in order to hide from those who hunted me. We had no choice by this point, we had lost too much already to take risks, we lost my parents and… My siblings all did the same. Ryoma was the only one who was a full hunter out of the four of us at the time so he had to stay alive in order to seek out the ones hunting us and destroy them…Takumi joined him in the hunt after a year, and a year after that they were all gone…" Kamui explained and Ruby tightened her hold on his arm, even though she already knew she was always sad to hear about his past, Kamui appreciated her to no end, he really did need her more than she thought. The young Rider really hoped no one would ask him about his pause in the middle of his story, he really thought he could talk about…"her" but it seemed he needed some more prodding first.

"You paused…you said you lost your parents but you stopped after you said "and", what were you going to say?" Blake asked. Kamui winced slightly, he didn't want to tell them exactly but he didn't want to lie either. His more reasonable side won out and he sighed.

"My…twin…we lost my twin along with my parents…" Kamui said softly and everyone immediately sobered up a bit. Kamui wouldn't talk more about it even if they asked and he hoped they could tell that he didn't want to. His twin…was something that only he and his siblings talked about; and even then it was seldom brought up, only Camilla ever really talked about it. Even Pyrrha who knew since she was there never brought it up.

"That certainty puts things in perspective…" Weiss commented, thankfully reading the signs that he didn't want to talk about that specific detail anymore. Yet she sounded a little unsure now. Kamui couldn't blame her or anyone really; they've been told what was true for so long only to be told that it wasn't the truth. Or…there was more truth to it than people realized.

"What secret are you talking about though, Kamui? So…all those huntsman and huntresses and…political figures, those deaths that they say your brothers "caused" they're true then?" Jaune asked shakily and Kamui nodded.

"They were all related to the issue. Ryoma cleaned our house out so to speak. There were quite a few people in on our secret and he had to clean out the ones who betrayed our father. I…I was almost killed actually if not for…my decision…" Kamui sighed as he thought about it. They were a lot more open back then with the outside world, when their father was around, he remembered that he was actually raised alongside children that weren't in on the family secret. Then they were betrayed and they started secluding themselves. Everyone seemed to catch on to what he meant by decision and Ruby practically moved herself into the chair with him so she could hug him, he returned the hug gently. The others all looked a bit horrified or surprised.

"So…Ironwood, Ozpin and the leaders of the other academies…they all really did cover it up?" Blake asked and Kamui nodded as Ruby moved back to her seat.

"They challenged the Rider of Death…my brother doesn't tolerate traitors. Ironwood, Ozpin and many others are part of my families inner circle so to say. They were the ones who remained loyal to us and aided us in our time of need. My brother saved our family…but the world's view of him was tainted because of it. There's no repairing his image unless some world crisis happens. None but a few understand the truth," Kamui explained sadly, he wished that his brother could be seen as a hero again instead of a murderer.

"What secret is worth all the torment and death your brother caused? Hundreds were killed; many were important figures in the kingdoms and academies. Is it truly so devastating that they would deal so much damage to protect it?" Ren asked. Kamui closed his eyes and he reached up to hold his necklace. He thought about whether or not he should tell them the full truth again. He could just push his transformation off as his armor being enchanted, they would probably buy that. Though Weiss and Jaune might realize he was lying since they were closer to the circle than the others. Yang deserved to know since her sister knew; she deserved to know what her sister had walked into. Blake would probably be fine with it and he had a feeling Ren and Nora would as well…so why was he hesitating?

"Ruby…Pyrrha, do you think I can trust them with everything?" Kamui asked as he opened his eyes.

"I…I trust them, Kamui but don't feel like you have to. I stand by you as always, I'll fight for you as always," Pyrrha said rather nervously, he couldn't blame her. Kamui nodded, ignoring the betrayed look on the rest of JNPR's team. He turned to Ruby and she looked deep in thought before she sighed.

"They're your team, Kamui, all of them. If you can't trust them, then how will you prove yourself? I understand your hesitance, especially given what we've seen with the Faunus and Penny but they're your friends…" Ruby pleaded and she kissed him gently on the lips. Kamui savored the one-second contact and it gave him his confidence to stand firm. He nodded and he turned his gaze back to his friends.

"What I am going to say will be told to no one else am I understood…under no circumstances will you ever speak about this with anyone outside my family's circle understood? Even if the councils breath down your necks, for information on my family you must never tell them the truth, you have to swear your loyalty to not reveal anything…" Kamui stated firmly and Pyrrha stamped Milo into the ground, hard to establish the point and everyone flinched slightly at the champion's attitude.

"If you endanger him or reveal his secret without consent, you will face judgment," Pyrrha said with the strict tone of a soldier.

"And me!" Ruby added, though as always she came off cuter than menacing.

"So its really that bad huh? Must be some secret," Yang said as she combed her hair.

"Do I have your word?" Kamui asked again. Jaune and Weiss nodded immediately while the others hesitantly agreed after weighing their options.

"An Arc never goes back on their word," Jaune promised.

"A Schnee doesn't violate their word either," Weiss claimed. The others all gave small nods of submission to his terms.

"Good…I am welcoming you into my family's inner circle or network so to say. It does have to do with what you saw me turn into. Now then…tell me, what do you know of the old world? Of the…beings said to have ruled Remnant before the kingdoms, the beings that come before all other lore. The ones who taught humanity and Faunus Aura Immortality," Kamui asked. Everyone looked rather confused by that question except for the ones who knew.

"They're stories, fairy tales. Stories for children on imaginary beings said to have powers of the gods," Weiss stated confidently.

"Ok…details?" Kamui asked. Weiss looked a little unsure, she probably never heard any of the stories; she was a Schnee after all. It wouldn't surprise Kamui if her father thought that the stories were a waste of time for her. If only they knew…

"They were called Nephilim, because they were born from fallen angels and humans. They were said to be extremely powerful and intelligent. They treated Humanity and Faunus equally. Their power was supposed to be beyond legendary, they were said to have ruled all of Remnant for a time, said to be the time of true equality. They say that the legendary Kingdom Ylisse, the founders of Vale met one such Nephilim, the Legendary Grandmaster Robin. They use his tactics today still," Blake summarized. Jaune chimed in at the mention of the tale.

"I remember that, the story of the Exalt Chrom and Grandmaster Robin. They say he was just a man with abnormally large reserves of aura and strength, possessing unnatural intelligence as well. Except I've heard the original version. They say that he was a Nephilim and that he came to Ylisse in a time of crisis. Every time he fought on the field, the enemy force would flee; he was even more famous than Chrom, even though he was the Exalt. Despite his efforts though, Ylisse was left in ruins. Later they came together and founded the Kingdom of Vale. Grandmaster Robin disappeared shortly after the founding of Vale though," Jaune summarized and Blake looked a little surprised.

"You know that story?" she asked, intrigued.

"Well yeah, I mean it was actually a good legend, unlike the altered versions I've heard. The Faunus weren't treated unfairly in the tale, they actually said that Chrom and Robin were good friends with many Faunus, unlike the watered down version that paints the Faunus as evil," Jaune explained and Blake's eyes widened slightly before her eyes lit up with hope just for a moment.

"Yes, our village had that story as well. We also had the tale of King Marth and the warrior Ike and many others like it. Why are these stories relevant?" Ren asked, bringing the topic back on track. Kamui chuckled and crossed his arms.

"They're relevant because I'm here to tell you that those stories are all true. The Nephilim were real and they still live and breath today, not in the same numbers as the ancient times of course but they still live," Kamui said as he stood up from his seat, Ruby jumped up with him but she released him since she no doubt figured out what he was going to do. She backed a few steps away from him as well and Pyrrha did the same.

"What?" Jaune asked for everyone. Everyone looked like he'd just gone crazy. Even Blake and Ren looked completely taken by surprise. Weiss had the best expression out of all of them, her mouth was literally agape. Kamui laughed at their expressions, as did Ruby and Pyrrha before his necklace began glowing and his black aura swarmed over him. It didn't even hurt to transform now; it was second nature now. It was faster as well; it only took an instant before he was in his true form before them again.

"That brings me to my family's secret…" Kamui reached up and pulled his helmet off, showing his face to them and that seemed to knock them out of the stupor finally.

"My family are Nephilim, I am Nephilim, hence the name Legacy, I am one of the last of the Ancient era. I possess power from an age all but forgotten to the mortals, including the power to warp space as you saw. I even shared it with some of you already. That is why people in service to my family call me Lord, I am not a mortal," Kamui explained with an amused expression as he placed his helmet onto a table. Everyone was silent, they were no longer in shock but they hadn't said anything yet. Made sense, not every day you hear that you were friends with an immortal being of legendary power or at least a child version of that.

"Unbelievable…" Weiss said in awe as she looked at him.

"So…that's what you really look like? Got to say, you really look like the Rider of War now…" Jaune said light heartedly and Kamui laughed, though his morphed voice seemed to unsettle them even though they knew he wasn't trying to be menacing.

"My power flux that I went through, was this form unlocking itself or in other words the demon inside me manifesting itself on the surface. I ran off because I couldn't let anyone see me in this form. Plus I had to learn how to control it," Kamui explained as he flexed his hand a little as power exerted itself visibly in the form of his flames.

"So…you're really a…Nephilim?" Blake asked as she stepped up to him and Kamui nodded down to her.

"Yes…half demon, half human…well actually the correct term would be just half mortal. I have Faunus blood in me as well, though I don't have any visible traits. My kind do not discriminate between who we love," Kamui said and Blake actually smiled at that.

"That's incredible, are there anymore of you?" Blake asked, intrigued. Kamui nodded but he wasn't exactly chipper about it, sadly.

"Yes, my family is the last of my kind…we've been hiding for eons upon eons upon eons," Kamui said sadly. Blake frowned at that.

"Why? They say your kind protected us, why would you hide what you are? Don't you know what this could mean for the Faunus! When your kind ruled, Faunus and Humanity were equal! They were truly equal! You can make those councils listen to you!" Blake said in a more excited tone that she only used when she saw fish or her favorite book. Kamui smiled at her sadly as he sighed.

"It's exactly those damn councils that would see my family burn if our secret came out. Tell me, do you think they would be so eager to relent the power they hold to my family? No…they would never let us rule…not without blood being spilt," Kamui said as his fist clenched in anger, Blake backed up a few steps and Kamui got ahold of himself and smiled at her reassuringly.

"So…now you all know my secret…" Kamui said as he crossed his arms. Yang approached next and she looked up at him in contemplation before she sighed in amusement.

"Ruby never did make things easy, she just had to fall for someone from legend, I don't know whether to be proud or afraid, but I know that you're not bad. I think you should call yourself half angel, not half demon," Yang said as she patted his arm. Ruby said exactly the same thing, though in a different way, more romantic to be honest. Ren and Nora were next.

"I don't know what to make of this really, Nora and I have seen our fair share of…things some people would consider questionable. This is a new one though I can't find myself being too shocked. You're our friend," Ren said slowly.

"Yeah! What he really means is that it's awesome really! You're basically like some kind of literal divine intervention!" Nora gushed, returning to her usual hyper self and Ren of course cut her off before she could go off and pulled her back but he gave Kamui a supporting nod.

"I already said what I thought, it says in legend that your people brought true equality to humanity and Faunus. I…can understand why you would be cautious but don't worry, I'm sure you'll have your time soon," Blake said as she fidgeted like she was on one of Ruby or Nora's sugar rushes. Kamui might have laughed if he didn't feel so tense. He saw Jaune still staring at Pyrrha in a bit of unease and he quickly cut in.

"Don't blame Pyrrha, please. She's been sworn to my service for a long time now, sworn to protect me no matter what, she's my retainer," Kamui intervened and Jaune tensed before he scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.

"I'm sorry, its just that well…I thought you guys met at a tournament? Isn't there a rule against letting people in from the outside? I mean you were only eleven or so back then?" Jaune asked. Kamui tilted his head a little and he chuckled slightly as he shook his head.

"Well…that was partly true. Pyrrha did have a match with my sister and myself but there were actually reasons behind that other than coincidence. My sister actually threw the match with her to give the public a sort of ease with our family, after all if they think we can be beaten than they will be a little less wary of us but not so much that they try to walk all over us. Pyrrha and I have actually known each other for a lot longer. We just try to pass it off differently so that no one knows that she's sworn to my family. It wouldn't exactly be received well by the kingdoms if they knew that the Mistral Champion worked for the Legacy's," Kamui explained. Everyone seemed rather acceptant of that, though it was probably easy to accept that compared to what he told them just prior.

"Sorry…I was just surprised, I don't know how Pyrrha and Ruby could just be so…normal with everything that you are. I mean its not every day you find out that one of your best friends is from legend!" Jaune stammered as he slapped his cheeks like he was still trying to figure out what was going on. Kamui looked at Pyrrha and motioned towards the blonde with his eyes and she blushed but she put Milo away and went towards her blonde leader.

"I grew up being told that the Nephilim were real. My mother was a friend of Kamui's mother. So we were brought into the fold of the Legacies. I grew up with Kamui. When I was told that my best friend was a Nephilim it didn't really faze me too much. You could say I was raised to serve Kamui's family. I wasn't born into the service of the Legacies though; we were brought in. It's always been a bit of a struggle for me to try and prove myself to the others. Especially after what happened with Kamui's parents and well, you know," Pyrrha sighed as she placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder as she helped him stand up.

"I still remember the day she swore herself to be my retainer, I was only eleven at the time," Kamui laughed as he remembered Pyrrha as a thirteen year old, she wasn't as stout and proud as she was now, just a girl wanting to prove herself to the other people who had been born into his family's service instead of brought in. They were only kids at the time after all. He was more concerned with playing at that point even though he had done what he could to move past his parent's passing.

"Ok…what about Ruby? She hasn't known for very long has she?" Weiss asked as she looked at the little reaper next to him. She jumped when attention was put on her and she chuckled nervously.

"Well…to be honest, I sort of believed in those fairy tales…it was basically a dream come true…" Ruby said nervously. Kamui stared at her and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a small hug, making her sputter. It was a little awkward since in his Nephilim form he towered over her even more but it was still a sweet scene. Kamui released her when he knew the embarrassment was getting to her and he turned to Jaune and Weiss who still looked like they were thinking things over.

"Don't worry, I know it can be a lot to take in. I think that's enough of a history lesson don't you think? I trust I've sated your curiosity?" Kamui joked as he reverted back to his human state. Jaune seemed to get knocked out of his stupor finally but Weiss was faster.

"Why didn't you tell Jaune and I when you told Ruby?" she asked curtly and Kamui's eyes widened at the hurt he heard in her voice. Jaune held an expression similar to what Weiss conveyed.

"When you brought Jaune, Ruby and I in to teach us about your space manipulation, you told us that you trusted us. Why did you only trust Ruby with what you are though? Did you think us, did you think me so shallow after what happened with Blake?" Weiss asked, her voice sounded so sad and Kamui frowned at that.

"Weiss, that's a little unfair," Jaune defended but Weiss shook her head as she walked up to Kamui.

"You said that I was your partner just like Ruby, this applies to Jaune as well. You spoke of team cohesion before, when you hide secrets like this though that only hurts everyone," Weiss said softly.

"Hey! That's not fair! Weiss, he can't just come out with that kind of stuff!" Ruby defended as she pushed herself in front of Kamui.

"I understand why he hid it but I am his partner as much as you are Ruby! This is important!" Weiss exclaimed. At that point Kamui placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder and moved her aside gently. He turned his gaze on Weiss and she flinched a bit.

"I kept it secret because I had to know I could trust you. After seeing how you handled Blake it gave me hope but this is a different situation. While Blake's secret could shake Beacon and possibly the kingdom of Vale. My secret would shake the whole of Remnant itself. I am sorry I did not come to you sooner for this but I am not just protecting myself, I am protecting my family. I have three nieces and two nephews that I want to reach adulthood and live for a few centuries or maybe millenniums or eternity. My kind is a little…stretched thin as you can imagine," Kamui explained and Weiss lowered her head in shame at his words.

"I…I'm sorry Kamui, I just…I just don't know how to react to this yet…but I…thank you," Weiss mumbled and Kamui sighed as he wiped a hand through his hair.

"It's been a tiring day, I think we can all agree on that," Kamui said as he sat down in an old chair as he cracked his fingers. Then he shot a small flame at their campfire, reigniting it. Jaune came up to him though and he placed a hand over his chest.

"An Arc never goes back on their word, I still trust you, Kamui," Jaune said faithfully with a smile. Kamui returned the smile and he nodded as Jaune stumbled away with Pyrrha's support. Kamui rolled his eyes, as Pyrrha not so subtly pulled his arm into her chest as she led him to the fire. The oblivious knight really needed to get a hit to the head about her feelings soon. Maybe before they get back or after the tournament they should stage a sort of intervention?

"Thank you all, you have no idea how much of a burden it has been," Kamui thanked and everyone gave him a small gesture of faith.

"That wasn't so bad now was it? Now we just have to figure out where the White Fang are," Ruby sighed as she took a seat next to him. He smiled at her and nodded but he zeroed in on something that was sticking out to him. In the form of a little Corgi dog, sticking its head out of Ruby's pack unknown to his little reaper girlfriend.

"Um…Ruby, there's a dog sticking out of your bag…" Kamui pointed out. There was a series of reactions from their entire group but the one that cut through all of them came from Blake in the form of a hiss.

"A DOG!" Kamui face palmed hard as Ruby started running away from Blake who had Gambol Shroud posed to kill her little pet. Kamui never saw the black haired girl so unsettled; then again she was part cat. He thought that wouldn't have applied to her though. The little dog seemed to think it was some kind of game and just barked happily as they ran around their makeshift camp. Nora ended up joining in the "game" and dragged Ren in with her. Weiss was chasing after Blake, trying to get her to calm down; apparently pets could melt her heart.

When they ran past Pyrrha and Jaune, Ruby not so subtly knocked Pyrrha down onto Jaune's lap. Though Kamui thought Pyrrha used it to her advantage. The blonde knight blushed as hard as his partner's hair and his own partner was blushing as well but she looked a bit…smug. That sly girl really was pulling out all the stops to get him to notice her wasn't she? It must have been frustrating.

"Ha! Look at them, Princess aren't they precious!" Yang shouted as she snapped a picture of the blushing knight and Spartan. Weiss looked a little unsettled and Kamui's eyes widened when he thought he saw her look…jealous?! Kamui shook his head as he looked out the window into the now night sky. He sighed as he looked up at the night sky, specifically the broken moon.

"Your will lives on Father…"


	14. Trains and Blood

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone, another chapter for you and man did it take a lot longer to write this than I thought. Seriously I just wrote and then it turned out like this! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, with school and life breathing down my neck. I have no real time frame for when the next part will be up, I'm mostly just doing this when I have time or when I have the spontaneous desire to write. I also have exams next week…for every class I'm taking currently. Anyway a little warning, it gets a little dark in this chapter, not bad in my opinion but I'll leave that up for you guys to decide. And also, yay for fight scenes, I was looking forward to them for awhile!

On a side note, I wonder if you guys can tell where the inspiration for one of the fights in this chapter came from. I made it real obvious. Enjoy and please follow or favorite!

Chapter 13: Trains and Blood

 **Ruby's POV**

"Bad Zwei…I told you not to antagonize Blake," Ruby chided her dog as she cuddled the adorable dog as she walked through the streets of Mountain Glenn. She volunteered to look around for clues and well she didn't want Blake to kill Zwei so she got out of there fast. She wanted Kamui to come with her but apparently Weiss wanted to talk to him more, Blake did too actually. Those two were always the most studious of the group; they probably saw him as a history goldmine, literally.

"!" Zwei just barked happily as he stared up at her and Ruby couldn't help but cuddle the little guy tighter much to the dogs joy. He really was too cute for her to be mad at or chide in any way. Maybe Kamui would be able to do it for her, then again she saw him break when his nieces and nephews begged him for sweets. To be fair she would have broken faster than he did. Maybe one kid could be resisted but five?

"So do you like Kamui, Zwei?" Ruby asked as she brought her dog up to face level. Zwei gave an approving bark and Ruby giggled and hugged him again. She knew he would love Kamui! It would be awkward if her dog didn't like her boyfriend, not that it would break them apart…right? It was still weird calling Kamui that, she really never thought that she would come to Beacon to find that.

"Hey do you think the Hunters know our base is here? That was a lot of noise, like a lot of it," a voice rang through her ears and in a flash Ruby was behind a building, peeking out to see who was around as Zwei peeked around with her.

"That's stupid, the boss said no one knows we're here. Besides, the Grimm and those…things are very heavy here. They don't have enough info to risk sending so many hunters here except for scouting and small clearings. It was probably just a small scouting party," another voice chided the first. Ruby and Zwei peeked out from their hiding spot to see two White Fang grunts walking through the ruins. Ruby almost screamed in success but she bit it back when she realized it would tip them off.

"Got to tell the others…" Ruby thought as she quickly pulled her scroll out and typed a quick message to Kamui, Weiss and Jaune but it wouldn't send. She sighed before she started trailing after the grunts again, using Zwei as a way to see around corners. She snuck up on the Grunts with skills that would make Blake proud as she tried to follow after them. Except luck wasn't on her side, the moment she moved onto the next street the ground under her literally crumbled. In reaction she threw Zwei clear but she fell through. She tried to grab her weapon to cling to the edge but it ended up slipping out of her hands because of the sudden motion. Losing Crescent Rose, poor Ruby was unable to stop herself as she fell down the hole.

"Ah!" Ruby fell for a few moments in darkness until blinding light hit her eyes for a moment then she hit sound hard. She groaned as she lied on whatever she used to break her fall. Thanks to aura she wasn't really hurt but it still stung a lot like Yang hit her with one of her light punches...in the face. She moved onto her front and stood up shakily and dusted herself off.

"I won't be telling Kamui about that…" Ruby groaned as she shook her stars off. Then her eyes widened as she took in the new sight. She was basically in a full underground city! Wait! That's right, Mountain Glenn had an underground network! Ruby slapped her head in stupidity, how could they forget about that! They were so concerned with the area above ground they forgot that maybe the enemy was using the underground as a base! She had to figure out how to get out and tell the others in case they didn't get her message. Yang and Kamui would freak out if she got captured!

"Hey you!" Ruby mentally screamed in annoyance. Jaune was supposed to have the bad luck not her! Yang was going to give her an earful and Kamui was going to be worried sick!

"Go away!" Ruby yelled as she turned around to face the two White Fang grunts approaching her. The guards weren't exactly impressed by her attempt at intimidation…especially since she dropped Crescent Rose upstairs…

"You're coming with us!" one of the grunts commanded as he approached her. Ruby sprung forward and launched a fist into the man's gut but it had little to no effect. Ruby paled as she realized that even with aura backing her up, she didn't exactly have the proper strength to take someone down, they were different from the creeps Torchwick had sent after her months ago. She looked up slowly at the grunt and was met with a punch to her eyes. Stars were the only things she saw for a few minutes. She vaguely felt herself get lifted up and carried or dragged somewhere but it took her awhile to knock the stars out of her eyes. When she got coherent images again she was met with someone she would prefer not to meet unless she had Crescent Rose leveled at his throat.

"Hey there Red! Fancy meeting you here!" Roman Torchwick, the mastermind criminal behind all the issues they've been dealing with was right in front of her and she was at his mercy. She really hoped everyone would hurry up, they noticed she was gone right? Kamui would be wondering what was going on and Jaune had grown very punctual, he'd notice right away too right?

 **Jaune's POV**

"You feeling better now, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she helped Jaune walk around the makeshift camp. Jaune's aura reserves were always impressive and the blonde knight was very thankful for them as always. It helped him bounce back from always getting beaten up by his friends in spars. Yang once said that ever since he started improving that it was like he kept getting up, she joked and said that was his greatest talent. Pyrrha actually agreed with it though.

"For the most part, I've been able to walk without support for the last hour though…" Jaune mentioned, while he was touched that she was tending to him, he felt embarrassed. Pyrrha flushed and moved towards the fire to start tending to some of the food they were cooking. His heart kept beating fast when he was around her nowadays. The only one he actually had this feeling with was Weiss wait. Was he really growing a crush for Pyrrha…No!

He couldn't be growing a crush on his own partner! He had just learned never to aim too high for a girlfriend; it would only end in disaster and pain. Weiss had seen it fit to teach him that cruel lesson and he had to swallow the medicine whole. He poured his heart out once before and it was cast in his face and he was belittled for it. Pyrrha was just as much out of his league if not more than Weiss. Jaune was really tired of heartbreak and moping around feeling sorry for himself, Pyrrha was just his friend, his partner, one of his best friend. His heart just wouldn't give him a break! He didn't want to be stuck between a rock and a hard place again.

It was bad enough he was still having trouble squashing his feelings for Weiss! He wanted to be angry with the white haired girl, he wanted to give her the cold shoulder for once. The heiress was starting to be nicer to him now and curse his heart for seeming to forget all the mean things she ever did to him. This was the girl who stomped on his heart in front of everyone multiple times and made it a point to belittle everything about him! He should be absolutely furious with her! Why couldn't he be mad at her though! Ever since the dance, he's been asking himself why he even bothered telling Neptune to go to her, he really wanted Weiss to suffer like he did…but did he really?

Jaune sighed as he looked over towards the heiress in question. She was currently absorbed in a conversation with their now revealed Nephilim friend, Kamui. She was actually…pleasant when she wasn't being mean. He always knew she was but still, he had grown accustomed to only seeing her mean side directed at him. She had only started being nicer to him recently, something he never thought would happen, figures. Jaune really really wished that his love life was a lot simpler. First the girl he crushes on hates on him and now suddenly starts being nicer to him while at the same time he is growing feelings for his own partner. Jaune wished his dad never told him to just show confidence all the time.

The blonde allowed himself to look at his redheaded partner while she was busy with the fire. He had a vague flash of her wearing an apron while baking sweets; he would be helping her out too. He pictured her serving cookies or something to two little children with both blonde hair and green eyes or maybe even blue eyes and red hair. While he would…Jaune sighed as he shook himself out of his thoughts. It would never happen, he already knew reality; life wasn't a fairy tale for some people. He would worry about his weird love life after he got out of the demon-infested place they called a mission. Now that he thought about it though, he realized that Kamui didn't explain exactly what the Faceless were; he was actually pretty vague.

"How about some food, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she came back to him with a bowl of their instant rations. He shuddered at the thought of eating it but it was still food…sort of in a disgusting and stomach clenching way. Pyrrha smiled sheepishly at him as she gave him the bowl of offending slop. Before he even lifted the spoon though, he heard the rather frantic barking of a dog.

"Zwei?" Yang asked as she sat up from her sleeping bag. Everyone else seemed a bit startled as well, since the dog sounded frantic and they didn't hear Ruby telling him to be quiet…Jaune gulped and grabbed Crocea Mors from the wall and snapped it to his belt.

"What's going on? Where's Ruby?" Weiss asked as she and Kamui stood up from their makeshift table. Zwei ran into their camp and ran up to Yang and Jaune's eyes widened when he saw Crescent Rose in the dog's mouth.

"Crescent Rose…where's Ruby?" Yang asked as terror started to leak into her voice. Zwei dropped Crescent Rose at her feet and started barking excitedly. He ran around the place as Yang picked up her sister's weapon. Zwei trying and succeeding to get everyone's attention. Then he went over to Kamui and started tugging on his cloak with his mouth.

"Ok, we're coming, take us to Ruby," Kamui said as he tugged his cloak free but Jaune could hear the fear in his voice.

"Everyone, gear up, travel light, I doubt we're coming back here if Ruby's stumbled onto what I think she has," Kamui commanded as he followed after Yang and the little Corgi dog. Weiss was hot on his tail as was Blake. Ren and Nora were going to follow as well but they stayed to look at their leader.

"Can you run, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she picked up her weapons. Jaune shrugged but his friend was in danger, he'd suck it up.

"We'll find out, come on!" Jaune commanded his team as they ran after the rest of their group.

 **Ruby's POV**

"Torchwick!" Ruby sprung up to hit the thief in the face but her hood was tugged back and she fell onto her back with a small thud.

"You really really like being a major pain don't you Little Red?" Torchwick said as he appeared in her vision again, looking down at her with his annoying smirk. Ruby grit her teeth and bounced up onto her feet and swung her first at his smug face. Her fist connected but he didn't even wince, he just looked surprised before he smacked her with his cane, sending her into the dirt again.

"Oh!" Ruby sighed as she shook her head and looked up. She saw a large train on tracks that actually looked like it was ready to go. One of the train cars was open and she saw it filled up with Atlesian robots and weapons and she thought she saw a bomb. Before she could get a closer look though someone grabbed her hood and yanked her off the ground.

"Wow, you really are a little weakling without that overgrown gardening tool or your little boyfriend to back you up," Roman sneered as he threw her into the ground again. Ruby grit her teeth, this was plain humiliating, if Kamui or any of her team saw this they'd laugh at her! She was supposed to be the prodigy leader of Team RWBY!

"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked as she got onto her feet. Roman chuckled at her as he twirled his cane around nonchalantly. Then he suddenly sprung forward and slammed his cane into her gut. She lurched forward before he grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head into the ground again. Ruby coughed as she tried to regain her breath, then she got kicked into a wall. Her aura dulled most of the pain but it still hurt a lot and her aura wouldn't last forever either. She shakily lifted herself from the ground to see Roman and the White Fang laughing at her obvious misfortune. She would get no mercy here.

"I'm going to be asking the questions here, Red. So tell me…how did you know we were here, and where's the rest of your little band of children?" Roman asked as he leveled his cane at her. Ruby tensed, she had to figure out how to get away, she figured that Zwei probably told her friends where she was but still. She really needed a distraction right now or a weapon. Roman leveled his cane and his little crosshairs popped up from the barrel and Ruby took a deep breath, she'd have to overdrive her semblance to get away but even then, how would she get away, she was seeing stars when they pulled her in. The only suitable weapons she could see were the ones the White Fang were holding, but she couldn't just hit them, the only way she would be able to get them would be…The words Kamui said to her rang through her head at this point.

" _If you are threatened, use whatever means you deem fit to defend yourself…even if it's fatal_ ," Ruby shuddered internally as she thought about it. Sure she "knew" how to…kill, she used a giant scythe that acted as a sniper rifle. Even then she knew how to do it with her hands, her Uncle taught her how without her dad knowing. She never thought she'd actually ever do it though, at least not so soon. She had little choice in the matter though; it was thrown in her face whole. Either she would commit to survival or endure whatever Roman had planned for her.

Ruby didn't want to die, she wanted to live…she wanted to see her sister again and almost get smothered to death. She wanted to bicker with Weiss over what was proper etiquette or listen to her chide her over not studying. She wanted to try and see what books Blake were reading, which she never let her see. She wanted to mess around with Jaune again and tease him over his motion sickness and his terrible pick up lines. She wanted to tease Pyrrha about her crush on Jaune. She wanted to torment her friends with Nora and their energetic antics and watch as Ren was forced to try to contain them. She wanted…she wanted to see her boyfriend again, her angel, she imagined all of their heartbroken faces but his stuck out the most in her mind. If she died then she would be leaving him all alone. Her heart hardened and her eyes narrowed as she locked onto the ones who would rip her away from her friends and loved ones.

"So what's it going to be Red? Are you going to talk or am I going to have to resort to something far more unpleasant?" Roman asked as he tapped his cane on the ground. His White Fang grunts approached with their weapons raised and Ruby tensed. She couldn't just charge in she'd get shot for sure, she needed a distraction. She hoped Roman would fire one of his shots at her but apparently he was more content to watch her get beat up by his goons.

Thankfully she got one as if Oum above had decided to take pity on her. There was a large explosion followed by a series of screams, Ruby blocked out the fact that they sounded like dying screams. Roman and the White Fang all turned away to see what was going on but she didn't look, she acted.

Ruby used her semblance to appear behind the smallest White Fang, a female deer Faunus from what she could tell. She jumped on her back, wrapping her legs around her and her arms wrapped around her head. The Faunus tried to throw her off but Ruby acted quickly. In one motion, using her semblance to aid her, she snapped her neck clean around in a one eighty motion until her face was facing her. Her mask was covering her eyes but her mouth was agape in surprise. Ruby pushed away her feelings and moved on instinct for survival. She quickly took the gun she had and leveled it at Roman and the White Fang.

"What the-" Ruby pulled the trigger and the gun fired in full auto. Roman jumped out of the way before she fired but the three others she was aiming at weren't so lucky. They must not have had their auras unlocked or they weren't too strong because her bullets cut through them like paper in a few seconds. Ruby blocked out her feelings as she gunned them down. When their bullet riddled corpses fell to the ground to spill their blood on the ground she stopped. Then she turned to Roman who was actually looking at her in shock. She pulled the trigger on him but her gun clicked, signaling she was empty.

Ruby's eyes widened as she looked at the side of the gun to see the word empty running across the screen on the side of the gun. She looked back up at Roman who had already taken off for the train. Ruby dropped the gun and was about to run after him but before she could, a few shots hit the ground in front of her. She looked to the side to see a few more White Fang approaching her, at least six of them this time. They all raised their weapons at her; they weren't going to bother asking her to surrender apparently. She acted but it wasn't enough apparently…

"You brat! We saw that! You killed four of our brothers and sisters!" one of them roared.

"Get ready to join them!" another one of them shouted. They leveled their guns at her and Ruby was about to activate Dragon Fang since it was an emergency but before she could, she heard one of the voices she really wanted to hear desperately.

"Ruby!"

 **Kamui's POV**

"Ruby!" Kamui shouted as he threw a fireball at the White Fang threatening his girlfriend. He didn't feel much remorse as four of them were caught in the fire explosion, he actually felt quite satisfied. It was a quick death; they were burned to ashes in only a few seconds, long enough for them to scream but short enough so they didn't feel it for long. The last one turned to him in fear but before he could raise his weapon at him Kamui ran him through with his sword, easily. Then he yanked his sword out, letting his victims blood spill onto the ground. The grunt fell to his knees, holding his hands to his gut as if trying to hold his blood in. Kamui severed his head from his body with no hesitation. Kamui didn't spare the corpse a look and went past it towards Ruby. He had run ahead of the others on Yang's urging since he had no qualms of dealing pain to get to Ruby. The others were busy fighting through the rest of the of the defenders. Though Kamui had hacked a bit of a path through to get to Ruby fast.

"K-Kamui?" Ruby asked as she fell to her knees, she started shaking erratically and Kamui thought she was afraid of what he did but when he saw her look to the side he realized she was looking at four other corpses. Kamui noticed that most of them were pooling in their own blood and that one of them had their head snapped backwards. It clicked in his head almost right away and he quickly went down and wrapped his arms around her. She clung to him almost instantly and Kamui sighed as he held her protectively. He looked around to make sure no one else was going to try something but he was content to see that apparently everyone was busy fighting his friends. He looked at the train and his eyes widened at all the tech he saw in the open cart but before he could ponder it further Ruby started sobbing.

"Kamui! I…I killed them! I…didn't mean to, but they…they were going to…" Ruby sobbed as she cried into his chest. Kamui frowned sadly and stroked her hair gently as he held her.

"I'm sorry Ruby…I should have gotten here faster…" Kamui soothed as he kissed the top of her head gently. Ruby tilted her head up and kissed him gently before she buried her face into his neck again. Kamui thought he could defend her from this, from the darker side of fighting. He thought he could protect her from having to make the choice between survival and death. He thought he could protect all his friends from making that choice. He should have known better…he couldn't save Pyrrha from that choice so why would he be able to protect more people from it? Another arrogant thought on his part. He held her for a few more minutes as she cried but she stopped a little faster than he thought she would.

"How do you do it, Kamui? How do you…kill without flinching?" Ruby asked in a hollow voice. Kamui would have shuddered if he didn't know he sounded exactly like that when he had to kill for the first time. He really didn't know why he could do it.

He was playing in the woods; he was able to sneak away from his mother (Raven), a rare treat considering whom she is. He was still in hiding but he was tired of being cooped up. He ended up almost getting killed by one of the people hunting him. He was a little boy so he didn't know how to fight exactly but he had his semblance. He still remembers the screams. His mother was blunt and told him that sometimes life doesn't give you any other choice. Sometimes it's survival or death while surrender is not an option for either side.

He managed to bounce back from everything fairy quick, he just sort of accepted it, and perhaps his parent's deaths had a hand in that. Perhaps it was because he is Rider of War and death is part of war. His mother told him he was one of the cases who manage to accept killing rather fast and come to peace with it. She thought it might have been because he was a kid and that he could have easily gone to the other extreme. He has only had to kill a few times in his life and every time it got easier. In fact he found himself…reveling in it and even hungering for it. He didn't know why he felt that way or otherwise was rather indifferent about it. Even Takumi and Camilla reacted more "normally" to killing at least from what he heard. Supposedly Ryoma adapted to it fairly fast from what his mother told him, he is the Rider of Death though and he had plenty of incentive.

Still though, he doubted Ruby could bounce back like he did, at least not without a reason. She was different from him despite sharing some similarities to him. She would need a reason for it to justify herself. In fact everyone was going to need a reason pretty soon, Kamui knew that they weren't holding their punches now. Not when the threat of Ruby getting hurt was very real. Like him they were pressed because someone dear was in danger. He was more surprised that Ruby wasn't getting mad at him for killing right in front of her but that might come later when they weren't in danger.

"I…Ruby…they were going to kill you if you didn't…I would have done the same in your position…I would have done it just because they were going to hurt you…" Kamui said slowly, not the best words but he didn't want to risk sugar coating it and he meant it too. If he got there before she killed them he would have ended them all without a second thought in order to protect her. Ruby tended to get annoyed when things were hidden from her after all and he tried to be as truthful as he could with her. Her naïve desire for the truth was actually quite endearing, something their entire group tended to hold. Fortunately Ruby didn't start shaking again and just looked up at him, her eyes weren't darkened or hollowed out like his supposedly got. Certainly they were red and puffy but they were full of wonder instead of dread.

"How did you deal with it though? Could it be taught?" Ruby asked. Kamui's eyes went downcast as he thought about his "gift" of killing and feeling no long lasting hard feelings but almost satisfaction. He didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing still to this day. He once asked his brother, the only one who had adapted to the action fast that he knew closely anyway. Ryoma was actually disturbed when Kamui told him that he kind of enjoyed it but he didn't turn him away. Ryoma didn't know the reason he was able to adapt either. No need for Kamui to tell Ruby the part where he kind of enjoyed it though.

"To be honest…I don't really know, I mean it was survival or death, maybe that was enough for me. I am the Rider of War; maybe it was just in my nature to accept it. Ruby, it's not good and it's not bad by nature exactly, it depends on how you perceive it really. There is little glory in killing even if its for a good reason but you need to do it sometimes, even if what you're fighting for is something people would see as wrong…likewise sometimes the only way to save a life is to take one…and keep in mind sometimes death is a blessing compared to pain or dishonor…" Kamui said softly, hoping that was enough for her. He didn't feel like that was enough for anyone really, he took a mixture of both sides really, mostly because of his "enjoyment" in the act of killing. He didn't view killing as herofication or villainous though, it had potential to be both.

"That sounds interesting…first time I've heard death framed that way…" Ruby said slowly, her voice returning to its usual tone though she was still a little stiff. She tapped his arm and he helped her stand wordlessly.

"Thank you, Kamui…that helps more than you think…" Ruby said in a more chipper tone as one of her usual smiles filled her face. Kamui smiled back at her but Ruby's eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"The train! It's loaded with robots and weaponry!" Ruby shouted and Kamui looked back at the train as he remembered what he was looking at before Ruby's episode.

"Why would they be getting a train ready though? The tunnels were sealed…" Kamui thought as he watched the White Fang start boarding the train. Kamui was about to say they should hitch a ride but before he could, their friends had finally caught up.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted as she ran over. Kamui wisely stepped out of the way as Yang scooped the girl into her arms and squeezed her tight. Ruby squirmed around a little but she returned the hug after a few moments, thankfully seeming to return to her usual self, at least for now. Blake and Weiss ran up and hugged the little red reaper as well. As little Zwei ran up and started barking as he ran around the group hug, Kamui smiled at the warm scene.

He frowned though when he noticed Blake and Weiss's blades were covered in blood and Weiss's dress was caked in a bit of blood as well, not Grimm blood, the blood of the White Fang soldiers. Yang's fists were bloodied too but she didn't seem to mind as she hugged her little sister. Kamui turned to see JNPR catching up, Jaune was limping slightly and apparently he left his broken armor behind but at least he was relatively recovered now. Kamui was more concerned with the rather…shaken look on his face as he cleaned Crocea Mors of the blood covering it. He wasn't breaking down at least but it was wreaking havoc on his mind. Ren and Nora were at least more composed if a little disturbed. Pyrrha well, she had placed her guilt aside some time ago.

"Hostiles…eliminated…" Pyrrha said as she flicked her spear, sending the blood off of it. Everyone seemed to realize what they had just committed as well when Kamui heard Zwei stop barking and start whimpering. Kamui looked at where they had all come from to see many White Fang, their bodies broken or hacked up and some were even scorched. Blood was pooling all over the area, Kamui sighed softly as he shook his head, what a waste. Yet in the back of his mind he felt the small tug of satisfaction.

"Did we really just commit…" Weiss sounded a little horrified and Kamui turned to team RWBY to see that a somber mood had befallen them, specifically Yang and Weiss. Surprisingly Blake didn't exactly look disturbed aside from the small twitches her bow gave off. Weiss and Yang seemed a bit horrified though of what they did. Kamui shared a sad look with Pyrrha who just shook her head.

"Whatever you're feeling now…put it aside…" Kamui spoke firmly as he addressed his group.

"What?! But we just…" Yang stammered as she stared down at her hands and tried to wipe the blood off. Kamui waved his hand in a dismissing manner though. He moved so he was able to look at both teams and he kept a firm look up and Yang actually flinched at his gaze.

"We have a mission to finish, we can't afford to be bogged down by feelings now. Whatever you're feeling…push it aside until we get home. Ruby has informed me that Roman has that train filled to the brink with weapons. I don't know what but I find it in Vale's best interest to act now! So everyone get ahold of yourselves and move now! We'll talk later, I promise…" Kamui ordered actually managing to shock the guilt out of their expressions.

"He's right, we have to stop that train! Torchwick is on it too!" Ruby added in as she started running towards the train that was no starting to get going on the track. Kamui followed after her and everyone else seemed to get knocked into action at that point. They all scrambled after them and Kamui prayed he made the right choice. It was only a temporary fix; pushing feelings aside, when they were safe again…anything could happen.

"Let's hope this goes as well as I think it will…" Kamui sighed but while he was running, he felt a familiar feeling and he smiled slightly, they would be just fine.

 **Jaune's POV**

Jaune grunted as he landed a little roughly on the moving train. His injuries were still prevalent despite the fact that he was healing fast. He pushed it off though; he'd suffered much worse pain before. Pyrrha steadied him though when their group moved onto the top of the train.

"Where would they be going? The tunnels are sealed!" Weiss screamed over the souring wind as the train shot through the tunnel. At that point though they heard a loud beeping...that was starting to grow more frantic by the second. Everyone looked confused since they all heard it as well; good Jaune wasn't going crazy. Blake ripped open one of the hatches on the train and she gasped.

"Bomb! Move!" she shouted. Everyone kicked into gear almost right away. They all jumped onto the next train car and right when they did the train car they were on, detached. They all watched it as it slowed down and when it was a good distance away it exploded. The explosion cracked a hole in the roof, letting sunlight shine down into the tunnel.

"What the hell? What are they doing?!" Yang shouted.

"The tunnels to Vale are sealed, why would they be brining bombs?!" Ruby yelled over the rushing winds. Suddenly they heard a loud crumbling sound and they looked back at the hole the train made and Jaune jumped when he saw a large King Taijitu slither down into the tunnel followed by a rather large number of other grimm of various species. Jaune actually recognized a lot of them, Professor Port's class finally came in handy!

"Grimm! And a lot of them!" Ren shouted before anyone else could. Jaune thought about what was going on and his eyes widened as he slowly came to a realization. The massive amount of Grimm, the bombs and the sealed tunnel that leads straight into Vale past the walls. He turned to whoever was right next to him and it happened to be Weiss and she had a horrified look on her face that he no doubt was mirroring.

"But why would th-…" Blake paused mid sentence and she gasped slightly. No doubt everyone else was piecing it together as well.

"Those bastards…" Jaune thought as he grit his teeth.

"They…They're going to blow open a hole into Vale and lead all the Grimm into the city!" Weiss shouted in a horrified voice, Jaune and no doubt everyone else was immediately hit with the gravity of the situation. Unfortunately though as if fate was trying to make fun of them they heard the familiar sound of a frantic beeping, growing faster by the second.

"Move! Next Train and keep going! We have to assume they all have bombs except for the trains in the front with all the weapons! We need to stop this train now!" Kamui ordered; the rest of them didn't need to be told twice, especially Jaune. They all jumped to the next train and kept on going. Unfortunately Jaune's injuries were slowing him down despite the fact he was the first to start moving and he ended up in the back of the pack. He still managed to keep pace though regardless. Jaune heard another car blow up behind him but he didn't risk looking back. He just focused on trying to keep up with the rest of the group. They made good progress, and were unchallenged, they probably weren't expected.

"Look out!" Jaune's focus went from the train cars to in front of the group and he saw a crate flying right at them, past the crate he saw one of the Paladin mechs, a couple of them actually. Kamui and Pyrrha jumped over it while Ruby and the others slid under it. Unfortunately Jaune was in mid jump but he managed to tip out of the way just barely. But unfortunately again he realized he was going to miss the next train car.

"Oh come on!" Jaune shouted as he fell. He reached out and tried to latch onto the car. Both his hands found something to hold onto but the rest of his body was off the car and his front hit the side of the car with a loud thud. He bit back the cry of pain he wanted to shout out as his injuries flared up more noticeably. Thank Oum for aura but still he felt like his side was on fire again. He bit back the pain as much as he could because if he gave in, he'd fall off to his doom. He refused to be a liability or worse a crybaby on a mission!

"Damn it come on!" he yelled in his head. He clenched his eyes shut to keep the tears from coming out as he tried to wrench himself onto the train car. Normally he probably would have had no problem but he was exhausted from his fight earlier in the day still and his injuries hadn't completely healed either, in fact he thought they got bad again. He heard the sounds of fighting coming from further along the train, his friends engaging the White Fang no doubt. He had to pull his own weight and catch back up this time. Then he heard the sound of another train car detaching, he opened his eyes and looked back and saw that the car right before the one he was on detached and his eyes widened.

"Come on!" he grunted as he tried in vain to pull himself up but his sore and injured body wasn't responding well enough. The only thing he could manage to do was hold on. He heard the frantic beeping of the bomb in the car he held on to and he felt his heart beat pick up along with it. Jaune felt his eyes close though after another futile attempt to save himself. He was going to die down there…a horrible death at the hands of the Grimm…alone…

"Jaune!" Jaune's eyes snapped open from the cry of his name and the feeling of someone tugging on his arms to help him up. He thought it was Pyrrha at first, maybe it was the pain and exhaustion getting to him though. Because when he saw his savior, it was Weiss. She came back for him?! That's something he never thought would happen in a million years! He was too shocked seeing her to really hear what she was saying.

"Jaune come on! We have to go!" Weiss' voice finally hit his ears as she continued tugging on his arms and his body kicked into gear. With Weiss' help he was able to pull himself onto the top of the car finally. He held himself up on his knees as he panted softly from exhaustion, now that his arms weren't stressed they were really sore and his chest still burned. He wanted to lie down on the car and rest but he knew that he couldn't.

"Jaune! Please, we have to move come on!" Weiss ordered rather urgently. Jaune felt Weiss grab his arm and help him up but the action was so sudden that he felt a sharp pain in his side again. He gasped and he almost fell over but thankfully Weiss managed to hold him up. His eyes were a little blurry but he shook it off when Weiss slapped his face to make him look at her.

"Come on Jaune, let's go! I got you!" Weiss pressed, her blue eyes were wide with worry and Jaune felt the irony of the situation despite the danger. He didn't even bother responding and nodded. Weiss hefted his arm over her shoulder and with her help Jaune made it to the edge of the car he was on. Weiss shot her hand forward and a few of her glyphs appeared in the gap between the two cars. Weiss placed her other hand on his chest as she eased him onto the glyphs and onto the next car. Just in time too because Jaune heard the sound of the car behind them disconnecting.

"It's ok, Jaune we checked this car, the bombs stopped with the last one," Weiss said softly as they slowed their pace down. Jaune finally turned his attention from the car at that point to where the rest of his friends were.

He saw Ren and Nora both work together to knock a Paladin off of the train. Ren knocked its legs out with a nicely timed aura kick, while Nora batted it off of the train with a hard swing of her hammer. Jaune winced as the Paladin slammed into the ground helplessly as they quickly left it behind. There was a person in there after all…

"Come on, we need to get to the others…" Weiss said as she helped him along. Ren and Nora saw them coming and they looked alarmed but they didn't rush over to coddle him. Jaune knew the stakes too, they had to focus on the mission and right now they were all in danger. Ren and Nora at least waited for them to catch up and stood guard over them as they made their way to the platform cars where the Paladins came from. The shouts and screams followed by gunfire and blades clashing signaled that the rest of their group was still fighting the Fang.

When Jaune could see what was happening he yelped as a bullet shot between his head and Weiss'. The heiress even gasped slightly but thankfully she didn't drop him. Jaune focused in on the fight and he felt a bit sick again. His friends weren't holding back again.

To Yang's credit she wasn't firing her guns when she hit people but the force of her blows were no doubt breaking the bones of the weak grunts. They slumped to the ground in heaps of agony and Jaune thought he saw a grim look on Yang's face whenever she dropped one. Blake wasn't pulling her swings back either, she was slashing down White Fang Grunts with her blade but he noticed that she wasn't killing them, she was slicing their legs or their sides, enough to incapacitate them. They were just finishing up though by the time Jaune and the others reached them.

"You feeling alright, Jaune?" Yang asked without calling him the nickname he hated. It sounded almost foreign though with the tone she used.

"I'll live, where are the others?" Jaune asked, he didn't see Kamui, Pyrrha or Ruby. He did notice that leading up to the passenger cars, there were bodies of White Fang who weren't just downed, they were killed, some quite brutally. A lot of the corpses were missing limbs and had deep gash's across their chests as blood pooled around them, they weren't even twitching. A few of them just had their heads cut clean off and Jaune saw some of the heads had their mouths agape. Jaune shuddered at the thought of his three friends actually killing people like that.

"They…they went on ahead..." Yang answered slowly as she combed her hair back.

"You guys go, we'll make sure no one sneaks up behind you," Ren quickly asserted as he and Nora turned back to the other cars, even Nora didn't say anything. Jaune had a feeling they just didn't want to see what the other three were doing.

"Right…let's go then…" Jaune said softly. Yang and Blake nodded as they took the lead towards the other cars. Weiss helped Jaune make his way after them, surprisingly the heiress didn't try to push him off on anyone else or ask if he could walk on his own, which he kind of could now.

"Here we go…" Jaune thought as Yang opened the door as she and Blake rushed in but to Jaune the first thing that came to him were the screams followed by a cry of shock from Yang. When Weiss and Jaune entered the car Jaune gaped as he basically saw a lot of red.

"What the…" before Jaune could finish his sentence he felt Weiss stiffen, her hands left him and he saw her fall to her knees and actually wretch onto the ground, Jaune ended up falling down with her since he wasn't expecting it but he made himself a use and started rubbing the heiress' back as she threw up their crappy rations. Jaune vaguely saw Yang look horrified and Blake's eyes were widened and he couldn't blame them.

The entire car was painted in blood practically. There were dead White Fang littering the floor, these ones were in worse condition than the ones right outside. Some of them were killed relatively fast from what Jaune could tell but a lot of them were hacked up more, like they were missing parts of their torso or they were even cut clean in half and some of their organs were leaking out onto the floor. Then of course there was all the blood, it was nauseating. Jaune actually saw some that were just burned, blackened corpses, Kamui's work no doubt, oh Oum the smell too. It smelled of either burning flesh or blood. The worst part though was that his friends were still in the room and they weren't done.

"Ah!" Jaune watched as Ruby cleaved her scythe across a White Fang's chest once before she twisted around and hacked his head clean off, blood spurted from the stump where his head was as the head itself fell down somewhere around the room. Then she twisted herself around and rend another grunt's head off cleanly before she kicked the body down. Then she slammed Crescent Rose into the ground and fired right into an unsuspecting grunt, whose head had a large hole in it the next moment after she fired. Then she ducked under a grunt's strike and sunk her scythe's blade into her chest before she lifted her off the ground and slammed her body into another one of her fellow grunts that died soon after, by a shot from Ruby's Crescent Rose as blood rained around Ruby like rain. Jaune might have called that pretty if it wasn't blood. Ruby herself didn't look like she was enjoying or hating what she was doing; she just had a determined look on her face as if she was fighting Grimm. Jaune couldn't believe he was seeing sweet innocent Ruby doing that though. She was just dancing with her boyfriend a few days ago!

"Wai-ah!" Jaune's heart cracked a little as he saw Pyrrha stamp her foot onto a grunt's chest, causing the poor grunt to cry out in pain before Pyrrha drove Milo right into her chest. Unfortunately the grunt didn't die right away and she let out a gasp of pain but as if Pyrrha was deciding to have mercy or just feeling violent, she stomped on her throat as she drove her spear in deeper. Thankfully the grunt died a little bit after that as she stopped moving. Pyrrha held a grim expression but it wasn't like the expression Yang or Blake held when they were fighting. It was more like a resolve.

"Ple-ahh!" Jaune's eyes widened as he saw Kamui slice a poor grunt, clean in half with Yato, blood spilling onto the ground plentifully like there wasn't enough on the ground already. Another grunt tried to sneak up on him rather fearfully but Kamui just flicked his sword towards the grunt and knocked their weapon from their hand before his hand lit up with fire and he swiped his hand and sent out his flames, burning at least five grunts with his semblance. Jaune's ears rung with the sound of their screams even if they were short lived, he literally saw the grunts burn to ashes. Then one brave White Fang sprung through the flames and tried to stab Kamui with his blade but Kamui stepped out of the way and grabbed the grunt's arm. The grunt cried out in pain as he dropped the sword, Kamui was crushing his arm apparently. The grunt fell to his knees and stared up at Kamui, Jaune could just picture the fear in his eyes. Then Kamui raised his sword and cut the grunt down with a slash from his shoulder down to his hip, severing the two parts. Jaune almost wretched himself like Weiss still was as Kamui held up the part of the grunt's corpse that was still attached to the arm he was holding. Kamui threw it into the flames as he turned to them slowly. The flames cast a large shadow over him and his face was obscured, only his smoldering orange/gold eyes stared at them, Jaune felt his skin crawl since he thought he saw…hunger and glee in those eyes again. It was only for a moment though since the flames died down and Kamui adopted a frown, Jaune just assumed it was the light playing with his mind again.

"Took you long enough…" Kamui said softly, there was no humor in his tone though. Ruby wiped down her "baby" and she had a guilty look on her face but Jaune had a feeling that was more because they saw her do what she did. Pyrrha was the one that looked a little shaken though she took it in stride, she wouldn't meet Jaune's eyes until she started approaching him though. Jaune barely registered Weiss stand up after she finished putting her rations on the floor of the train car. Jaune stood up as well after Weiss pulled him up. She used him as a standpost now and Jaune could feel her trembling still.

"What…happened?" Jaune rasped out, his voice felt horse like all air was just dry even though it shouldn't be. Kamui just turned his head away slightly while the two girls looked a little embarrassed or nervous.

"Ruby!" Yang shot forward and caught the little red girl in her arms as if she hadn't seen her in years. She held the girl's head in her hands and forced her to look at her even as Ruby tried to fidget her way out of her hold.

"They…they wouldn't get out of the way…" Ruby mumbled and Jaune still felt his throat tighten. He was really surprised that he hadn't thrown up yet.

"They left us no choice…" Pyrrha added as he looked at Jaune, she was pleading for him to understand.

"But…Ruby…" Yang choked a little bit and Jaune couldn't blame her. If he ever saw any of his little sisters doing what he just saw, he'd be reacting the same way.

"Why?!" Yang finally screamed, nearly making Jaune jump out of his skin. She clutched onto Ruby like she was about to disappear. Jaune looked to Kamui again but he wouldn't even look at him. For a moment everything was silent except for Yang's small sobs. Then Kamui broke the silence after a minute or so had passed.

"Look…whatever feelings you have about…what you saw or whatever disgust you feel. Push it down now, I said it before, I'll say it again. None of that matters now, what matters is that we stop this train from attacking Vale, now!" Kamui cut in rather curtly. Jaune was surprised at the rather heartless way he was pushing them all; the others seemed surprised too.

"You…" Yang let go of Ruby, her eyes red. Jaune was worried she was going to attack Kamui but before she could, Ruby got in front of her and Blake grabbed her and held her back.

"Yang! He's right, we have to focus on the mission now," Blake pressed, recovering surprisingly fast. Yang actually stopped struggling thankfully at her partner's words.

"Yang, please…just wait until we get out of here, please," Ruby pleaded. At that point Yang's eyes returned to their normal color and she let out a loud huff and Jaune let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in until he heard Weiss do the same thing, next to him. At that moment he also noticed that Kamui's hand left his sword's handle at Yang's submission to his order.

"Just until we finish the mission and save Vale…" Yang echoed and Kamui nodded.

"I promise…" he said and Yang nodded before she shook her head.

"We need to move, I don't know how much time we have left now," Kamui said quickly.

"Ren and Nora are hanging back to cover our rears," Jaune added in, trying to aid in pushing everything along. He didn't exactly understand why but he felt like he should place his trust in Kamui explicitly at least for now. Yes…he would deliver them from this foul place wouldn't he?

"That's good, we need to move fast and we can't afford to dally too long," Kamui said.

"We shouldn't be too far from the engine car," Weiss chimed in, apparently finding her nerves again. Jaune didn't feel like he had recovered from the sight but the fact that they had a mission helped him at least try to get back on track.

"We better get going then!" Ruby said as she grabbed Kamui's hand and started pulling him off towards the next car. Zwei stuck his head out of her backpack again and gave off a little affirmative bark, was he in there the whole time they were on the train? Yang and Blake followed after them silently, having steeled their nerves apparently.

"We'll talk later," Pyrrha told Jaune softly before she rushed after the others. Jaune shuddered slightly at the look Pyrrha gave him, she was afraid he would see her differently. Though he kind of was unfortunately.

"Come on Jaune," Weiss said as she grabbed his arm and tugged him along. Jaune didn't even realize that he was still frozen to his spot. He didn't even feel his injuries anymore really except for a small sting in his side that was basically nothing.

Despite their sluggish time in running after Ruby and Kamui, they managed to catch up to them fairly quick as they were making their way through the next car, which was actually empty. Thank Oum, Jaune was in no mood to go through another slaughter even if he wasn't participating. Jaune was surprised that Weiss was still holding onto him since he could clearly walk and run on his own but he wasn't complaining, after what he saw he kind of needed it to keep himself from thinking about the slaughter he just saw. Weiss might have been thinking the same thing. It wasn't until they got to the next car that everyone came to a stop.

"It's her…" Yang said quickly. In the middle of the car was a rather short girl but Jaune recognized her just like the others. It was the girl with the Neapolitan hair- style and the kaleidoscope eyes that seemed to change every time she blinked. Jaune shivered when the umbrella-wielding girl looked right at him and she gave a rather soft smile and winked at him flirtatiously, just like before. His face flushed again and if he didn't feel Weiss squeeze his arm and knock him out of his embarrassment he probably would still be blusing.

"Go I got her!" Yang shouted as she cocked her gauntlets and marched in front of their pack. It was obvious it wasn't up for debate. Kamui, Blake and Ruby just agreed and silently ran around the pair, the Umbrella girl didn't even move to stop them at all.

"Good luck, Yang," Pyrrha placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder for a moment before she turned to Jaune and Weiss and nodded towards the door. Jaune managed to move first this time; more because the Umbrella girl scared him and this time he pulled Weiss along as he followed after Pyrrha. Jaune tried not to look at the ice cream colored girl since he felt her eyes on him as he ran by. At least she didn't try to stop them. The moment they passed the door though, Jaune heard the firing sound of Yang's gauntlets.

The others were waiting for them in the next car. The moment they saw them they started on their way but before they got to the end of the car, Blake and Ruby ducked under two blades that were meant for their necks and got away from their attackers. Both attackers were clad in cloaks and White Fang masks, Jaune thought the bigger one was a guy and the smaller one was a girl. The girl was wielding two little knives while the guy was holing a sword, though even Jaune had to admit that his stance was horrid. Kamui caught one of the assaliants by their wrist when they tried to slice him with their blade. Then he grabbed the attacker by their shoulder and pulled them into a knee before he threw them into a wall. The other one tried to attack Kamui while his back was turned but before their blade reached him Pyrrha surged forward and slammed Akouo into the attacker's side, pushing them into another wall.

"Go I'll handle them!" Pyrrha yelled as she threw the attacker she pinned into the other one before she drew Milo and adjusted into her stance. Jaune didn't even have time to say anything before Weiss pulled him forward after the others.

"Good luck Pyrrha!" Jaune managed to say as he passed her. Her eyes found his and she gave him a small smile in the one moment they had before he passed by her.

Ruby shot forward and opened the door as Blake and Kamui passed by and she herself ran in after Jaune and Weiss passed by her. Jaune heard the door close behind them but he ignored it, he couldn't worry about his friends for now. Pyrrha was a champion fighter; she could take care of herself. Yang could handle that ice cream colored girl too; she was at least twice her size. Unfortunately before Jaune could think about it longer, another cloaked White Fang dropped down in front of their pack. She held out a black gloved hand, which lit up in an orange color before a big plume of flames shot towards them. Jaune's eyes as certain demise or third degree burns surged towards them.

"Not so fast!" Kamui shot forward in front of Ruby and Blake and held his hand out to the flames and dispersed them with his hands to the sides, sending the flames away in a cone like way around Jaune and the others. Jaune could feel the heat of the flames even though they didn't get too close to him. Then Kamui shot his fist forward and launched his own fire plume at the White Fang. The woman twisted to the side and like the flames were little more than a beach ball, she pushed it into the side of the train car, scorching it. The White Fang then ground herself and took a tight martial arts stance, facing Kamui.

"Go…I'll handle this one. I have a little score to settle with this one, anyway…" Kamui said as he adopted a tight stance as well.

"Be careful, Kamui…" Ruby said a little hesitantly. Jaune saw her reach out to touch him but she stopped before she could like she couldn't. Then she shook her head and adopted a more serious expression.

"Kick her butt, Kamui!" Ruby said proudly and Jaune almost laughed since she managed to do it in her cute way again. Blake was silent but she nodded before she ran around the pair about to duel.

"I will…now go…all of you…" Kamui said passively. Jaune shared a look with Weiss and she nodded as they made their way around the fire users, thankfully Blake held the door open and they all piled through, leaving the Rider of War to face his adversary alone.

Thankfully the person in the next car was standing right in the middle of the car when they entered it. Jaune was starting to get annoyed by all the enemies that were jumping them. Except this guy was pretty menacing if Jaune was any judge. Unlike the last three, this guy was very big, like almost seven feet tall big with big muscles. He wore a improvised White Fang uniform but that wasn't what Jaune was worried about. It was the chainsaw sword that he was hefting.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice was rough and low like something straight out of a movie almost. Jaune sighed softly in annoyance, though with his luck this guy was probably weaker than all of the others he bypassed.

"I got this one," Weiss said as she finally let go of Jaune's hand and unsheathed her blade to face the chainsaw wielding White Fang. Blake and Ruby just accepted it and ran off. The big guy didn't let them pass though, he took a swing at them. His chainsaw flew through the air towards the two girls. Ruby easily avoided it with her semblance, speeding past him, while Blake let the man hit her, but it was one of her clones and she actually ducked and slipped beneath his legs and ran for the door after Ruby. The large man grunted in annoyance but he chuckled as he turned to face them.

"Well then…looks like I get to kill a Schnee…" he said rather viciously. Jaune grit his teeth a little at the way he seemed to stare at Weiss. He didn't feel like he should leave her by her lonesome against someone like him. Even if he'd just be little more than an annoyance to the chainsaw maniac. He had to stand and fight at some point, everyone had to do their part here.

"Why didn't you run, Jaune? I would have covered for you," Weiss said off handedly. Jaune shook his head as he drew his sword and formed his shield on his left arm.

"I doubt I would be any help against Torchwick up in the front. Ruby and Blake got it handled. I think you might need my help more," Jaune said confidently even though he was shaking in his boots. He expected Weiss to say some kind of insult or even scoff but she just made a small humming sound before she actually laughed.

"Thanks, Jaune…" Weiss said and Jaune was so surprised by the compliment that he barely registered the fact that she actually smiled at him, genuinely. Jaune didn't have much more time after that since the large White Fang in front of them let out a roar as he charged at them.

"Die!" he shouted as he hefted his big chainsaw/sword around like it was made out of paper. He was surprisingly fast, despite the way he looked. He wasn't faster than them though. Jaune moved out of the way rather easily if he was any judge as the large man brought his chainsaw down where he and Weiss were standing. There was a loud ripping sound of metal as the man's weapon hit the floor. The man seemed to know that Jaune was the weaker one so with handling that should have been difficult, he pulled his chainsaw from the ground and directed his next strike towards Jaune.

Jaune reacted on instinct and lifted his shield. Normally he would have sunk his feet in to tank the blow like Pyrrha taught him but he didn't want to even entertain the idea with a weapon like that or the strength it took to use the thing so effortlessly. The moment Jaune touched the ground after his dodge, he dug his feet into the ground and with as much strength as he could muster he swiped his shield at the attack to try and parry it. Thankfully months of practice had drilled the motion into perfection. Jaune grit his teeth as his shield met the chainsaw, he could feel the rigid force through his whole body in the small moment his shield collided with the chainsaw. The motion worked perfectly, the chainsaw was flung away from him. The man let out a surprised grunt as he was knocked off his posture. Jaune's eyes narrowed as he swung his sword at the man.

"Got you!" Jaune thought confidently as the motion rang true. His sword connected with the man's torso in a diagonal slash across. Jaune grit his teeth as he felt the rough barrier of the man's aura but he still managed to cut through and slice through the man's clothes, into his flesh, it wasn't deep but it was a cut nonetheless. The moment he finished his slash though, the Fang grabbed his head with one of his hands and lifted him up rather easily.

"You little brat!" he shouted. Before Jaune could even react he felt himself swung around before he was thrown. Fortunately Jaune was used to getting tossed or knocked around and he had learned to land better. When he hit the ground of the car he rolled to spare himself some of the pain. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of room in that car and his back hit one of the walls with a thud. Jaune bit back the cry of pain. He felt his side flare up again at the impact. He shook his head and looked up to see the Fang turn to him and raise his weapon at him, the wound he inflicted was bleeding but it didn't seem to be slowing him down. Jaune rose to his feet and raised his shield and sword in his usual stance. But before the Fang could do anything, Weiss sprung in and took his legs out from under him with one of her usual lunges.

"Ah!" the man's aura absorbed the blow but he was still knocked off balance. Weiss activated her semblance again and just like with the Boarbatusk in Port's class months ago, Weiss created a dome of her glyphs around her target. Then with amazing skill and speed, she sprung from glyph to glyph, slashing the Fang again and again. With every hit, another wound appeared on the Fang, who was helpless to the assault; even his aura did little to stop the assault with that kind of magnitude. Jaune could do little but stare as the heiress took the no doubt more experienced man with amazing skill.

"Hiya!" Weiss ended her spectacle with a big slash over the man's shoulder, adding a rather grievous gash to the man's already cut up form. The man's clothes were worse for wear and soaked in his own blood. Weiss turned to the man and flicked Myrtenaster to send the blood off of it. Surprisingly her blade was the only thing that got touched by blood.

"Urk…" the large man fell to his knee, catching himself with one hand before he fell over. His chainsaw was still now, not revving at all. It was only used to further help the man not fall over.

"You'll be fine as long as you stay put, I avoided hitting anything too fatal. You won't be fighting again anytime soon," Weiss said as she sheathed her sword and turned back to Jaune. The blonde knight let out a breath of relief and moved to congratulate her but before he could, his eyes widened and Weiss froze upon seeing his expression change.

"You little Schnee brat!" the Fang's chainsaw revved up again for a vengeance as he stood despite his injuries. He lifted his weapon up again to strike Weiss. Jaune knew that Weiss didn't have the best defense when it came to taking blows. A slash from a weapon like that would cut through her like butter or worse!

"Weiss!" Jaune sprung forward on instinct and instinct alone. He jumped in front of her and blocked the chainsaw directly with his shield. It was all a blur after that, he just wanted to protect his friend. He felt himself push the attack away with a shrug of his shield and then he slashed upwards. He felt no resistance nor heard any sound but he vaguely felt some liquid hit his body but he ignored it. The Fang reached for him and Jaune stepped to the side and slashed it, barely paying it heed. Then he bashed the Fang in the face with his shield and followed it up with a stab, right through the man's chest. The moment he finished the strike, all his senses came back to him and he blinked rapidly, feeling quite feint also.

"J-Jaune…" he heard Weiss whisper behind him. Jaune finally realized that he had his sword driven through the large Fang's chest and that his blood was covering his hand. The more terrifying thing he noticed was that the man wasn't moving at all. Jaune quickly pulled his sword out and stepped away as the man slumped over and didn't get up. His blood began pooling around him at an alarming rate. Jaune looked at Crocea Mors and saw that it was covered in blood and he looked back at the corpse fearfully. It was different from before when they were rushing to save Ruby, the man looked so…destroyed.

"…I" Jaune could barely speak as he took in the fact that the large Fang's corpse had a large gash across his chest and that his right arm had been severed at the elbow. Then of course there was the hole made when Jaune ran him through. Jaune looked down at himself and he felt his heartbeat quicken when he saw that his clothes had been caked in blood, even more blood than before when they rushed through the White Fang earlier in the underground. He looked towards Weiss, and he felt his entire being chill when he saw the fear in the blue eyes of the heiress. Jaune felt dizzy suddenly, he heard something hit the ground and it wasn't until he looked down that he realized that he dropped Crocea Mors. He suddenly felt weightless and it wasn't until he heard Weiss yell his name that he realized that he had fallen. He didn't even feel the ground, he just felt dizzy and tired. He welcomed the darkness that followed after, anything to get away from the cruel reality at least for now.

 **Kamui's POV**

Kamui ducked under a fireball and shot out one of his own towards his opponent. Then he moved to the side to avoid a larger fireball and he cupped his hands together and fired a large plume of fire at his opponent. His eyes widened when he saw the masked girl put her hands together and like a blade and split the stream of flames, sending it past her, not even licking her body. Kamui bit back a curse and ceased his attack but before he could do anything else she launched a large fireball at him. He grit his teeth behind his lips as he dispersed a fireball aimed at his face by reached into the fireball and pulled it apart, throwing the flames to the sides. He glared at his opponent, the girl that nearly incinerated his friends. She quickly followed her last attack up with an even bigger fireball that filled up the entire car. Kamui felt the heat even before the attack came. There was no way to dodge it.

"Fine then…" Kamui didn't flinch and took a knee and slammed his hands into the ground, creating a wall of fire in between him and the fireball. He grit his teeth when he felt the flames collide but he powered through and sent the wall forward towards his masked adversary, he knew it wouldn't stop her though. He rose from his knee and formed two orbs of fire in his hands. Then he brought his hands together as he shot them forward in a twisting motion. The two fireballs turned into a giant one that brought the heat of the car up sharply to the point that Kamui was sure the metal of the car was starting to melt. He smirked slightly when he saw his wall of fire disperse to reveal his enemy. She had her arms outstretched to either side and he was sure she was surprised by the incoming attack since she just brought her hands up to try and stop the attack. She managed to stop the attack in its tracks and Kamui grit his teeth in annoyance as his vision turned a little red.

"Just die!" Kamui shouted as he shot his arm forward in a twisting motion, creating an even larger twisting plume of fire that he fired at his enemy, fully intending to incinerate her where she stood. His desire to kill her intensified every moment that she refused to fall. His nature as Rider of War was pulling at him, hard to just lose it and go on full instinct. A pull he barely managed to hold back, he longed to let himself fall into the flow of combat fully but he knew he couldn't do it there, not with his friends so close.

"Die…" Kamui thought as his flame collided with the first plume, igniting an explosion. He didn't even cover his eyes as the explosion blew the roof of the car and the walls off, leaving just the floor and parts of the wall. Most of the smoke dissipated due to being exposed to the air outside and the fact that they were on a moving train. There was still a lot of smoke though despite the motion and the space.

"Did that do it?" Kamui thought as he stayed on alert. He looked around; smoke didn't hamper him like it would hamper others. He didn't even move so he wouldn't tip his opponent off if she were still alive. He listened in for anything but other than the sound of the wind, he didn't hear any movement. Then suddenly his senses screamed at him and he ducked under a flaming kick. He could feel the heat against his neck as he ducked. He dove forward, hearing something slam into the ground where he was.

Kamui rolled onto his feet and turned to his attacker only to move to the side to avoid a flaming fist meant for his face. He grabbed her arm and tried to deliver his own fire punch but she jumped over him. He watched her as she delivered a kick, sending a fireball from her foot but Kamui just tilted his head to the side to dodge it before he rushed her. He ducked under another of her flame attacks as he closed in on her. He tried to punch her but she moved to the side and grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder. Kamui grit his teeth from the counter but he caught himself by placing his hand on the ground so he could cartwheel onto his feet. The moment his feet touched the ground he turned and did a straight kick towards the girl, sending a fireball towards her but she smacked it to the side before she rushed him this time. Kamui felt strangely gleeful despite his growing desire to kill this person. Only Pyrrha had brought this kind of feeling out in a spar but that was four years ago and he wasn't trying to kill her.

Kamui scoffed as he knocked her punch to the side before he punched her gut but his eyes widened when he felt her hand catch his fist. He grit his teeth as he tried to strike her face next but she caught that hand too and wouldn't let go. He was more surprised that she was strong enough to hold him over the fact that she caught his fists. Kamui glared at her masked face, he would rip that off before he killed her, it was rude to do otherwise. He found himself a little drawn to her mask though; it wasn't exactly a White Fang mask now that he could see it better. It was a darker color and it was shaped a little smother than the rest almost like the faceplate of a helmet more than a mask.

"It's nice to see you again…I wondered when I'd see you again after the CCT Tower…" the girl spoke. Her voice was morphed a little but Kamui only chuckled darkly. So he was correct in assuming that it was the spy he and Ruby found the other night.

"So it is you…I thought so…that's why I wanted to fight you. I wanted to settle what you started…" Kamui said confidently. Then a small blade made of fire extended from his hand that she was restraining in front of her face. She actually flinched and backed away from it. Kamui smiled as he did the same with his other hand and using her surprise to his advantage, he struck. Unfortunately he didn't hit her as decisively as he thought he would but he did score hits. His flame dagger near her face only skimmed her mask, making a little black line where her cheek would be. His dagger near her stomach hit skin.

"Ah!" the girl actually let out a pained yelp, however fast it may have been. His flame dagger cauterized the wound right away so he didn't see any blood but from the way she clutched her side, he must have struck a nerve. He closed in and slashed at her with his flame daggers again. His first slash missed and his second only skimmed her cloak before she jumped away from him. He still pursued her but she materialized a black sword in her hand and he quickly leaned back out of her strike and back flipped away from her. He summersaulted in the air a few times before he landed on top of the car behind the one they fought on. He dispersed his flame daggers and he smiled at her again. He felt a familiar presence for a few moments and he turned his head towards one of the cars behind him and he smiled slightly before he turned back to girl in front of him.

"You should feel proud, only four others have made me resort to using my semblance in such a manner," Kamui said, panting lightly from exertion. He felt elated and annoyed at the same time that he met someone who could actually force this much out of him like Ruby and the others. Even then this was the first time in awhile that he used his true semblance to such a degree. Still though, obviously this fight would not be decided by their skill with their semblance's as his masked opponent proved. There was nothing that could replace the feeling of locking blades with an opponent after all.

"Let's see what you can really do, Rider of War…" his opponent taunted as she twirled her sword around in her hand expertly. She wasn't even holding her side anymore, a superficial wound at worst probably. She probably only grasped her side since she didn't expect him to actually cut her. Kamui hopped down back onto the car and he unsheathed Yato.

"Oh don't worry…I will…" Kamui thought as he held his sword in his usual stance, pointing the blade towards her with both hands on the hilt. His opponent twirled her sword in her hand once more before she materialized a matching sword in her other hand. She pointed one of them towards him in a beckoning manner while she held the other one at the ready. Kamui took a breath as his eyes locked onto his opponent, his focus tuning to just her and their immediate surroundings. The moment he let his breath go, they began.

Kamui let himself go into the heat of battle again the moment his sword met one of hers. Sparks flew every time their swords met. Kamui felt even more elated with every clash as the fight went on. It must have only been a few seconds but to him it felt like hours. This was a dynamic dance that he had only experienced when he was pushed to his best. Even then it felt deeper than usual, like he really was being forced to his limit, in his mortal form anyway.

Kamui deflected a strike to his neck with a simple flick of his sword and then he parried her other sword with a strong slash of his own. Then he brought his sword down towards her head but the masked girl simply tilted her head out of the way before she brought both her blades up in a cross lock onto his sword. Kamui pulled his sword away and moved to the side and met her two blades with his own. Her swords slid against his, causing a large array of sparks to fly into the air. His eyes followed her though as she harmlessly passed him. He slashed at her back as she passed but she slipped under it and stabbed towards his face with one of her blades. Kamui tilted back out of the strike, though she managed to cut a few strands of his white hair down and he parried her other blade aside when she tried to follow up. His eyes locked on where her eyes would be on her mask and he was sure that she was mirroring the glare he was directing at her. They continued that dance for what felt like hours. Neither of them were able to gain an advantage, their swordsmanship was almost completely even…except for one thing. Kamui was far more ruthless…

"Time to end this…" Kamui thought. Kamui slashed horizontally, forcing his opponent to block with both her blades. He noticed her arms buckle ever so slightly as she held his slash back. She tried to back away but Kamui moved his foot to the side, sending a wave of flames towards her side. She moved the other way suddenly to dodge the flames but her footing was off now. His eyes narrowed as he slashed through, sending sparks into the air and breaking her guard. Caught off guard, she tried to regain her footing but Kamui wouldn't let her. He shifted his foot forward again, sending a small wave of flames to her feet, forcing her to take a step back or be set on fire.

"Now!" Kamui closed in and brought down a hard vertical slash. His opponent held up her blades to block but he caught her at an awkward angle as he slid his blade down her swords. While he didn't fully break through, he managed to strike one of her arms, his blade cutting through like butter. Before he could completely sever the arm though his opponent jumped away. The arm he cut, dropped her sword as it turned back to dust, the arm itself wasn't cut too badly but it still hung loosely at her side. He could see the red of blood leak down her arm and hand as it dripped onto the ground. To her credit she didn't cry out and held her other sword out towards him, defiantly. Still though, it was obvious he had won.

"Impressive…very impressive…surprisingly so actually…" she commented as she lowered her sword, Kamui could detect some exhaustion in her voice. Kamui returned to his usual stance but he stayed in a more relaxed version of it.

"How about I hear your name and see your face before I send you to the other side?" Kamui asked. The girl actually laughed at his statement and before he could do anything else, the girl with the tricolored hair and the two White Fang that Pyrrha was supposed to be dealing with just appeared behind his opponent. Kamui's eyes widened and he grit his teeth, of course, that midget's semblance could make her virtually unnoticeable, especially since he was too caught up in his "fun".

"In due time, Kamui…in due time…" she said simply as she backed away. Kamui growled and lunged at them, he wouldn't let them get away especially if their presence meant what he thought it meant.

"None of you are going anywhere!" he shouted as he shot towards them. The tricolored girl's eyes turned from their usual brown and pink to just white and the other two White Fang flinched as he closed in. The moment his blade connected with the fire girl's neck though she shattered along with the rest of them. His eyes widened, it was just like before when Roman got away. He grit his teeth and let out an annoyed growl.

"Next time I'll have your head! All of them!" Kamui shouted angrily into the air. He panted for a few moments as his blood cooled down. After a few minutes he sighed in annoyance but he sheathed his sword and crossed his arms in thought. Who the heck was that? And she seemed like she knew him already. He wasn't secret knowledge but still, she sounded like she actually knew him and her semblance…it was just like his. That wasn't right, unless she had that much dust imbued to her clothing, no that wasn't right, there was limits there, limits that a semblance outstrips easily.

"Kamui!" broken out of his thought, the young rider turned to see Yang and NPR rushing towards him. Yang looked a little worse for wear but she seemed fine, her mother probably bailed her out, Kamui thought he sensed her nearby. Pyrrha looked slightly disheveled by was tiptop other than that. Ren and Nora were exactly the same as when he last saw them.

"What happened?" Yang asked in wonder as she looked at the mess he made of the car.

"Just settling a score. I won but before I could press the advantage that tricolored girl and the other two-cloaked White Fang showed up and bailed my opponent out. I can only assume they're out of reach now," Kamui said in an annoyed tone. This was exactly why he tried so hard not to get too lost in fights; people could sneak up on him if he had too much "fun". He couldn't help himself though, he never could.

"What about the others?" Pyrrha asked.

"They went on ahead," Kamui said and the moment he finished, Yang ran by him, no doubt eager to help her sister.

"Let's go, they might need out help!" Kamui said as he quickly ran after the blonde, the others following behind him. He'd worry about everything after they averted imminent invasion.

 **Ruby's POV**

Ruby and Blake quickly entered the engine car only to disperse when a dust round was fired at them. Ruby was all too familiar with the type of shot fired at them. It was from Roman Torchwick's cane. She'd been shot at and hit by it enough to recognize it by now.

"Well well, little red and the cat come to try and save the day?" Torchwick said with disdain. Ruby narrowed her eyes and brought out Crescent Rose to bear against the criminal mastermind.

"We're going to stop this train!" Ruby shouted. Torchwick looked like he wanted to laugh and that made Ruby a little mad. Thankfully Blake shut him up by charging after him while he was focused on her.

"Whoa there!" Roman ducked under her sword and delivered an uppercut to the girl but he struck one of her clones. The real Blake had ducked and delivered a kick to the man's chest, sending him flying.

"You little brat!" Roman landed on his feet and fired his dust rounds at Blake, who easily dodged them. While he was focused on Blake though, Ruby closed in.

"Laugh at this!" Ruby shouted as she used her semblance to basically teleport right in front of him, her scythe raised for the attack. Roman actually seemed surprised but when she struck he managed to block her attack with his cane. Ruby narrowed her eyes and fired Crescent Rose, sending her back but she pulled Roman's cane with her at least partially. She didn't pull it out of his grasp but she did knock him off balance before he pulled his cane out of her scythe's grasp. Ruby used this to her advantage and thanks to constant training against Kamui and Pyrrha she easily twisted Crescent Rose around while she was in mid motion and fired it off again, sending her back towards Roman before he could realize what she did.

"Hiya!" Ruby brought both her feet up and delivered a two-booted kick to the criminal's face. She heard him let out a pained yelp and then she used his face as a springboard and jumped away as Blake rushed in under her. Roman glared at them and blocked Blake's strike again and tried to grab her head but when he did, Blake phased away, leaving a clone but this time her clone turned to ice, catching the criminal's hand inside.

"What?!" Roman tried to pull his hand out of the ice sculpture but he didn't have to. Because Blake did it for him by kicking through the ice, nailing him in the jaw.

"Ah!" Roman grasped his jaw with his now free hand but before he could raise his cane up, Blake moved away and Ruby rushed in with her semblance. Ruby aimed for his hand holding his cane and in one motion, she slashed his wrist with her scythe. She made sure not to sever the hand though; she just cut it deeply enough to make him let go of his cane. It should have unnerved her that she knew how to do that but she did. It was similar to when she fought Grimm, just a little softer since there was no bone armor in the way. Ruby saw red stain his coat, so she knew that she cut him even before she noticed the blood on her Crescent Rose.

"Ah! You little…" Roman did let go of his cane due to his injury but before he could say anything else, Blake kneed him in the gut, taking him down to the ground.

"Enough!" Blake shouted as she stamped her foot down on the criminal's chest as she pointed her sword at his face. The criminal mastermind seemed genuinely surprised but he actually laughed despite the fact that he was in pain from Ruby's attack.

"You think this will change anything, Blake? What about you Little Red? Even if you stop the train in time, you'll all be trapped here with the Grimm. Think you can stop a few thousand Grimm just by yourselves? Not like it matters…we're almost there anyway…" Roman taunted rather gleefully despite the situation he was in. At that point the console in the car started beeping erratically. Ruby's eyes widened and she looked towards the console of the engine train to see that their destination was coming up much too fast now. They were going to hit the wall to Vale…

"I guess the good guys do lose sometimes hu-umph!" Blake stomped on Roman's face before he could even finish his sentence, knocking him out. Ruby shared a look with her Faunus teammate and Ruby groaned as she stamped Crescent Rose into the ground.

"Let's get up top!" she ordered and Blake nodded as they left the engine car and went up on top of it so they could see what was happening. Sure enough in the distance they could see a wall at the end of the tunnel…and it was getting closer by the moment.

"Ruby! Blake!" Ruby's heart jumped for joy when she turned to see her sister and the rest of the group coming towards them. They all looked relatively untouched aside from the small black marks on Kamui's armor and the bruises on her sister's arms. She noticed Jaune looking a little out of it, he was even leaning on Pyrrha for support now and he didn't look like he was moving too well, the other thing was that he was covered in blood and Ruby shuddered since she didn't think that was his. She shook it off though since she still had a mission to finish.

"Yang! Guys!" Ruby shouted joyfully as she went forward to hug her sister before she ran to Kamui and gave him a deeper hug.

"You alright, Kamui?" Ruby asked as she pulled back to look at him. Kamui smiled a little tiredly and he nodded. Ruby couldn't recall him ever looking tired from fighting anyway. That person he fought must have really been something to make him actually show exhaustion like that.

"Just a little winded, I'm sure the others feel worse than I do though," Kamui responded. At that point Ruby looked at Jaune again, now that he was up close though he seemed really really out of it like he hadn't slept in days.

"He'll be fine, we just need to get him out of here," Pyrrha said as she held the blonde knight up rather possessively if Ruby was any judge. Weiss seemed a little put off for some reason but before Ruby could ponder more, Blake cut in again.

"The more pressing concern is that there's no way for us to stop the train now," Blake cut in quickly before anyone could talk more. Ruby looked back at the fast approaching wall, they would hit it in a minute or so at this rate.

"We'll have to prepare for impact…and for fighting afterwards. We'll be on our own still for a while and there will be a lot civilians out there too probably…" Kamui said as he unsheathed his sword and stabbed it into the car. Everyone else started preparing themselves as well. Nora just clung to Ren and he wrapped his arms around her and everyone else was latching onto each other too. This would be a hard thing to take after all… Ruby felt her nerves bunch up again like at initiation but she swallowed them down.

"Weiss, put up ice barrier around us," Ruby ordered and her teammate nodded and stabbed her rapier down, creating a sort of shell around the whole group. Ruby clung onto Kamui as she braced herself and she felt someone else latch onto her, everyone had bunched up together.

"Ruby, Pyrrha, Weiss, Jaune! When I give the command, release Dragon Vein! If we time it right, we could lessen the impact we feel! Only do it for a second though! I'll handle the rest!" Kamui shouted.

"Right!" Ruby answered, she thought the other three answered as well. She saw the wall coming up through the ice and she clentched her eyes shut as she clung to Kamui tighter; the other people who were holding onto her tightened their hold as well.

"Now!" Kamui shouted and Ruby immediately flared her aura up as she summoned up Dragon Vein. She felt the immense drain of aura on her but she put it up like she was asked to. She felt weightless again as she forced the space around her to lessen its pull on herself. She probably kept it up longer than she was asked to but she didn't care. She dropped it whens he realized that she was supposed to drop it fast. She felt exhausted again, using her friends as support for her so she wouldn't fall. She opened her eyes at that point to see that Weiss was slumping on her sword for support and she almost gasped when she saw that they had already crashed through the wall, she didn't even feel it! They were gliding through the air and towards the ground at a gentle pace as if they were a glass. She felt Kamui shaking and she looked up to see that his eyes were closed in concentration. He must have been trying to hold their shield together with his Dragon Vein as well. Ruby was worried though since she knew that using Dragon Vein depleted reserves of aura fast, how much more would it drain if he used it to an extent like this?

"Uh…" Kamui gasped when they touched the ground, their little ice shield remaining intact. Ruby felt before she saw Kamui's Dragon Vein reside and then she felt the Rider slump against her, tiredly. While Ruby was feeling drained herself, she still managed to try and support him.

"Weiss…drop the ice," Ruby panted, tiredly as she supported her boyfriend who was somewhat leaning on her and his sword. Weiss must have been really exhausted still since she didn't even answer back as she dropped their little shield. Ruby's eyes widened when everything around them hit her senses finally.

The first thing that Ruby noticed was that they were in the middle of Vale, specifically near the heart of the kingdom itself. The train had sprung up right through one of the main squares. The next thing Ruby noticed was the sound of the siren, signaling an attack on the kingdom…along with the screams of the civilians that were around them. Then finally, the chilling roar of the Grimm hit her ears but what really got to her was that it wasn't just one Grimm that roared, it was a large number of them…

"Oh…shit…" Jaune said, apparently he got ahold of himself during their little crash. Ruby normally would have gotten on his case for cursing but…she agreed with his assessment considering the amount Grimm that poured out from the hole in the ground. Grimm of multiple species aside from the big behemoths she saw near Glenn poured out into Vale. The civilians panicked the second they poured in but thankfully the Grimm seemed to ignore them at least for now, in favor of the tired group of kids sitting in front of the hole…


	15. Breach

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone, a later update than I'd like. Tests are annoying and I had one every work day for the past two weeks. Two weeks of trying not to go insane. They weren't hard but there was a lot of them. Anyway here you go, something to tie up the second volume. I have no idea when the next part will be up since life happens. The next part or two is going to be focusing on a sort of interlude or transition arc to build and prepare things for the third volume timeline.

* * *

Chapter 14: Breach

 **Kamui's POV**

"Oh shit is right," Yang sighed, not even cracking a lame pun. The Grimm surrounded them instead of just rushing them and Kamui noticed that all of them had scars over their bodies and cracks in their armor. Only Grimm who had lived or fought long enough to grow some form of intelligence had features like that. Kamui should no, his brother's made him fight hundred of Grimm like that for training when he was younger. As the Nephilim Rider of War it was expected for him to become the best fighter of the four after all.

Still though, Kamui wasn't exactly feeling at his A game currently, he'd had a rough day just like the rest of his group. With having to transform for a prolonged period earlier along with little to no sleep followed by his match with the flame woman on the train and then a prolonged advanced usage of Dragon Vein. Kamui was feeling a bit drained now. Normally that would be good but Kamui wasn't training, he was fighting for his life and the lives of his friends. Kamui felt frustrated, as he looked at all the Grimm circling them, like a buffet. The Grimm knew that they were the biggest threat so they were going to take them out first before they preyed on the defenseless.

"I know this might be redundant but one of you activate your beacons to let the school know where we are…" Kamui ordered as he adjusted himself so he could stand on his own again. He shifted off of Ruby, who was hesitant to let him stand on his own but he knew that she was feeling the same exhaustion that he was. He stood up straight and raised his sword up from the ground.

"Beacon is active, I don't know how long it will take for anyone to get here though…" Pyrrha said, rather tiredly. Kamui looked around at all his friends. Pyrrha, Jaune, Weiss and Ruby looked very exhausted due to their usage of Dragon Vein minutes prior. Still they had their weapons at the ready and they weren't falling over. The others were better off yet he could tell that they were also weary from they day or two that they endured. They couldn't just rush in like when they first dropped into Mountain Glenn. They were too tired to sustain something like that and these Grimm were more dangerous than the ones they faced there anyway.

"No rushing in, they know we're the biggest threat right now and that we're also tired…" Kamui spoke as he hefted his sword in his usual stance.

"Circle up," Jaune clarified as they all adjusted themselves so that someone was facing every direction. Everyone readied themselves for the onslaught that was bound to happen. Kamui calmed himself to try and recover some of his lost energy before the onslaught would occur. He'd summon Nyx in to help too soon enough.

"So I guess another contest is out of the question?" Yang asked, cheekily. Despite the seriousness of the situation and the unwarranted remark, everyone ended up laughing at the blonde's joke. Hey, it only took them being in a life or death situation to actually tell a good joke.

"I'm afraid so Yang, you're not getting out of homework duty so easily…" Weiss replied, smugly.

"Her? It's going to be me stuck doing all of it with Yang's attitude!" Jaune exclaimed though it was easy to tell that he wasn't trying to be mean.

"Pfft! Hey, is that restaurant thing still on the table? Because I think I have the perfect place in mind…" Yang threw back out.

"Honestly anywhere sounds nice after this…" Ren muttered.

"As long as there's Pancakes!" Nora shouted, of course she could still sound fully energized. Ren gave a small chuckle with the promise that he would give her pancakes later.

"Anyone have anything to say before we go then?" Pyrrha asked good heartedly.

"It's been an honor, I've never known a better group of people…I wouldn't mind if it all ended here…" Blake said almost immediately to everyone.

"Aww! Blake does care!" Ruby cheered and Kamui couldn't help but laugh again since Blake sputtered as she tried to revoke her statement. Apparently she didn't realize that she said that out loud.

"No need to sound so defeated…we'll make it through this and celebrate wherever you guys want," Kamui said as he turned his Yato into it's katana form. No one replied to what he said, considering that the Grimm all let out a collective roar. Kamui looked to his direct left, where Ruby had situated herself. Their eyes locked and they smiled at each other before they turned back to the Grimm, they didn't need to say it.

The Grimm charged towards them from all angles and Kamui tensed but he let out his whistle, calling Nyx to their aid. His dragon companion flew overhead, setting many of the Grimm ablaze in dragon fire. She breathed her fire around them in a circle to cut down the Grimm before she swooped down and snatched up a few King Taijitu, crushing them in her claws or using her powerful jaws to end them. Of course with this many Grimm, even flames could only hold them back for so long. Due to the sheer volume of them, they simply climbed over the burning corpses of their brethren. Kamui's eyes narrowed as the Grimm closed in on him and his friends.

Kamui acted on instinct again when he hacked down his first Grimm in that fight. Like many times before he let himself block out everything except for the enemy and his friends. It might be hard to notice other things that way but it was needed there. He was tempted just to use his semblance but he already had Nyx overhead and he didn't feel like exhausting himself further in a situation like this. Besides there was no need to ruin the joy he felt at fighting side by side his friends and teammates. Though he was quickly knocked out of his intense focus before he cut through more than twenty Grimm when gunfire and explosions started cutting down the Grimm in front of him.

"What?" Kamui blinked and looked around his group to see that the same thing was happening all around them. He looked up to see dozens of cruisers and even more Military Bullheads flying about, specifically Atlas ones. Where the hell was the Vale military? Kamui shook his head at the idea that Vale was seriously relying solely on Atlas manpower.

"Looks like those ships actually can do something aside from menace," Yang commented and Kamui silently agreed since they definitely were cutting down the Grimm. Unfortunately the bombardment from the fleet, while easing the Grimm attack on them, made the Grimm scatter and start moving in a mass towards one of the exits of the squares. During the bombardment, the other big exits had been blocked off by rubble from collapsed buildings but there was one they missed. If the Grimm got out of the square they'd run amuck through the whole city!

"Quick! Let's go, the Grimm are trying to get into the city!" Jaune took the words right out of Kamui's mouth. No one needed to be told twice, they just started moving and trying to bring down any Grimm they could before they got out of the square.

"We need to get in front of the pack!" Ruby shouted as she started trying to cleave her way through the mass of Grimm. Unfortunately since they dove into the horde, the fleet above had enough sense to stop firing so they wouldn't hit them by accident. Also doubly unfortunately, that meant the Grimm started focusing more on them, though they were still trying to make their way towards the exit. Kamui was about to tell Nyx to block the last exit by smashing some of the buildings. Except before he could there was another roar that hit his ears but it wasn't Nyx. It sounded similar to his dragon but it was a lot deeper.

"About time!" Kamui thought inside his head as he slammed his foot into the ground, creating a little circle of flames around himself to ward of the Grimm. During the little interval, he looked up as a large wyvern flew overhead. It was a large beast, with black scales, adorning black armor on its hide and head. The helmet made it's red eyes glow and it had a purple fabric attached to the back of the helmet. Similar to Nyx, it had six limbs but instead of four legs and two arm wings, it had two legs to stand on and two actual arms with claws along with it's arm wings, kind of like if a T-Rex had actual arms and wings almost. Kami recognized it from the roar though before he saw it. It was his sister's mount, Rudanos.

"Hey Kami!" sure enough, his sister was riding on Rudanos' back, her axe leaned on her shoulder nonchalantly. Her mount let out a breath of his fire on the horse of Grimm, thankfully the flames didn't go anywhere near Kamui or his friends. Kamui waved to her, she always had the best timing! Kami noticed that most of his friends were close to the exit and had managed to get in front of the horde as well. Only Kamui and Pyrrha had lagged behind, Pyrrha probably stopped for the same reason Kamui did, she knew Rudanos too after all.

"Pyrrha jump! Nyx!" Kami shouted as he jumped in the air as high as he could given the circumstance. He used an Ursa as a springboard to jump into the air and he held his hand out and he saw Pyrrha do something similar. Soon after they were in the air, Nyx flew by and they both latched onto a leg. Nyx let out a roar and sprayed the Grimm under them with her flames again before she flew over the chokepoint that their friends were holding now. Kamui and Pyrrha both let go and dropped down into the point with their friends.

"Nice of you to join us!" Yang shouted as she stopped a Ursa from smashing Jaune's side.

"Sorry!" Pyrrha said as she moved in to take over the duty of watching her partner's back. They had all formed a sort of single line in the exit, so that the Grimm had to go through them. It wasn't perfect since there was only nine of them but Kamui knew that they would have help soon enough if his sister was already there.

"Do all of you have dragons?" Ruby asked as Kamui took position next to her in the line. Kamui didn't reply right away since they both had to hack down a few Grimm.

"No! I'm the only one with a dragon! Rudanos isn't really a dragon technically. My brother's don't even have dragon related mounts," Kamui answered back as he blocked an Ursa's claws before he hacked it's head off. He formed a fireball in his hand and threw it into the horde, incinerating a few of them but it did little to stop the tide, so he sunk his blade into the ground and pushed his semblance through his blade to create a literal wall of fire in between his friends and the Grimm. He felt like hell after he did it but he had to give them a little breather.

"Hey!" Kamui looked up to see his sister jump off of Rudanos and land right in front of their makeshift line of defenders. She hefted her axe on her shoulder and Kamui shuddered slightly since he thought she looked a bit scary.

"No one bullies my little brother unless they want to be on the receiving end of my axe or my wyvern!" Camilla shouted, not jesting whatsoever. The Grimm actually seemed to step away from her when she said that, though maybe that was the firewall in between them. Kamui really wasn't sure, his sister had been able to actually scare Grimm before if he recalled correctly. She certainly seemed to unsettle his friends, especially Ruby since she literally jumped during her boast.

"About time, sis…" Kamui said a little, tiredly. Camilla looked at him a little worriedly and he sighed since he knew where this was going.

"What happened to you little Kami? Did these bad Grimm do this to you? Shall I tear them to shreds for you?" Camilla asked way too sweetly considering the thing she just said. It was different from Nora's energetic demeanor and everyone knew it.

"Wow…I take back what I thought earlier…" Jaune muttered and Kamui barely caught that.

"No…just someone I settled a score with. These Grimm definitely need to go though. Where are Kaze and the others?" Kamui asked. Thankfully Camilla knew when he really didn't like being coddled and stayed serious.

"Your friends at Beacon were already deployed when I left, they should be here now, ah there they are!" Camilla said as she pointed to two bullheads that flew overhead. Professor Port and Team CFVY literally dive out from their ship to engage the Grimm below. Kamui also noticed Neptune and Sun jump from one of the other Bullheads along with Professor Oobleck and Professor Goodwitch. Thankfully the extra teams and teachers put a serious cut back on the Grimm trying to breach Kamui's wall of fire.

"Where are Kaze and the others though?" Kamui asked, failing to see their loyal shinobi or any of their retainers for that manner.

"Right here, Milord," Kaze answered from behind the young Rider and Kamui might have jumped like the rest of his friends if he wasn't used to the ninja doing that to him for years now.

"Don't do that again!" Weiss shouted as everyone turned to see that Kaze, Selkie and Velouria were there like the ninjas they were. Blake and Ren were looking at them like they couldn't believe they were snuck up on, being ninjas themselves.

"My apologies, Lady Schnee…" Kaze said as he bowed slightly towards Weiss, who seemed a little surprised and even a little flustered by the gentlemen behavior of the ninja. Camilla seemed to take offense to that though.

"Hey, hands off the ninja Ice Princess, he's mine, I'll cut you in half!" Camilla threatened rather possessively, making Kamui groan in annoyance while Weiss paled even further if that was possible. Yang and Nora got a laugh out of that despite the fact that Camilla was serious. Kaze to his credit managed to stay calm, though Kamui knew he was probably really embarrassed.

"Your team was already underway when we left, I'd wager that's them in the other bullhead," Kaze said quickly to shift the subject and Kamui froze since he had yet to tell his friends about the arrangement. He groaned inside his head since he knew his friends had all latched onto that statement, considering that Yang and Nora had stopped laughing. Kamui sighed in resignation though.

"Where's my team?" Kamui asked and he knew that his eight friends were all really staring at him now. He was going to tell them about the arrangement made for the festival but they had the CCT Tower incident and then Mountain Glenn so he didn't have time. Now they were going to find out this way, just like how they learned of his species.

"What?!" Ruby practically shrieked. Kamui winced a little since he hadn't been able to tell even Ruby either.

"Azura, Soleil and Ophelia are on their way as we speak, in fact I think that's them now," Kaze answered, seeming to not understand he just brought out something Kamui didn't want him to.

"Kamui?" Ruby asked a little fearfully. He felt her touch his arm and he turned to her to see her looking at him, silently asking for him to explain despite the fact that they were in the middle of a battle.

"It was an arrangement made for the Vytal Tournament since I am not part of an official four man team…" Kamui explained truthfully. Ruby seemed to not like the news but at least she didn't look betrayed. He looked around at the others and they all had various expressions of understanding or annoyance but none of them looked particularly angry with him at least.

"Here they come…" Selkie commented. Kamui pulled his gaze away from his girlfriend after squeezing her hand reassuringly. He looked up to see a bullhead hovering over their group. The bullhead opened up its doors and a group of people jumped out, the girls Kamui was going to be working with for the festival. The three all landed gracefully enough before they bowed towards Kamui and Camilla.

"Lady Camilla, Lord Kamui," Azura spoke. Azura was dressed for battle now, not dancing or singing. She was dressed in the garb of a kinshi knight. She wore mostly well-worn cloth or leather armor with some bits of metal armor over vital areas, all blue colored of course of course. The edges of her boots and her gloves as well as most of the edges of her clothing were either furred or feathered. The most distinctive features were the sort of small-feathered poncho she wore around her shoulders and the gold crest of the Kinshi knights held up behind her head. For weaponry she held a rather ornate spear that had a white shaft and the tip was gold with a rather artistic design. Then she also had a bow and a quiver full of arrows on her back.

"Sorry for the hold up, Milord!" Soleil said eagerly as she stood up with the rest, her blue eyes alight with eagerness and unfortunately suave. Soleil was a girl around the age of Kamui's group, the older ones. She was pretty, a bit like Yang or Pyrrha actually though leaning more towards the cute side. She had long grey/blue colored hair somewhat well kept to something worthy of Yang's hair. She was dressed in what Kamui's family called the mercenary garb. She had a pair of traveling pants on and a thick long sleeve shirt with a blue tunic over that, all well made to the standard of something like leather. She had a single shoulder pad and other bits of armor on her non-dominant arm. For weaponry she had a steel sword and a shield. Now that Kamui thought of it, she did remind him of Yang a bit, a tamer version anyway.

"Soleil was busy flirting with the bunny Faunus on that team CFVY. Don't worry though; the heir of the chosen one is here to lend her might to you Milord! Especially with Missiletainn by my side!" Ophelia boasted, making Kamui chuckle nervously at his friend's antics. Ophelia was a girl around Kamui and Ruby's age. Like Ruby and also Nora she had a bit of a cute look to her face. She had grey eyes alight with excitement, similar to Ruby's silver ones. She had long dirty blonde hair that was rather wild as it went down her back. She was dressed in a form of dark mesh merged with yellow robes, fit for a mage or a dark mage as she had insisted calling herself. She even had a little headband with a yellow veil attached to it around her hair. As for weapons she only held a book in her hand, though Kamui and everyone except for RWBY and JNR knew what it really was.

"I was not! That was my dad!" Soleil threw out, embarrassed. Azura giggled softly at their antics and Kamui wanted to laugh but he knew it wasn't the time especially since there was still Grimm trying to get through his flame wall.

"Save it for later, we need to fight now!" Kamui ordered. The three all dropped the humor and turned serious.

"Of course, what do you need us to do," Azura answered for all three of them.

"We have to push the Grimm back into the breach and seal the tunnel. The Beacon staff are already pushing in, but we need to do our part too!" Kamui commanded.

"Yes Milord," the three all answered.

"Kaze, Selkie, Velouria. You three get up on the roofs and circle the perimeter, make sure no Grimm gets out. JNPR will hold this point no matter what. Do not let any of the Grimm through into the city," Camilla ordered next. The three ninjas all nodded and disappeared onto the rooftops but JNPR was another thing.

"Hey! We can fight too!" Nora complained but Ren held her back before she marched up to Camilla.

"You guys, Jaune is still recovering, it's for the best," Pyrrha intervened and that seemed to calm Nora down and deflate Jaune a little.

"RWBY's going in with us. JNPR will hold this point, my wall won't last forever after all," Kamui affirmed and Camilla nodded before she turned to team RWBY.

"I trust you will all prove yourselves worthy of my brother's trust?" Camilla asked, no nonsense this time, she was fully serious.

"Of course!" Ruby answered, followed by a rousing agreement from the rest of her team, tired or not.

"Then let's get this underway…" Camilla said before she dove past the fire wall and started hacking Grimm down with her axe viciously yet efficiently. Kamui wasn't far behind her, he jumped through his wall quickly and started engaging the Grimm as well, he heard his team follow him through and noticed the Grimm to his sides start falling. He sucked in a breath and allowed himself to return to the state of combat he needed.

 **Ruby's POV**

"Let's go!" Ruby shouted as she used her scythe to boost herself over the firewall, trying to catch up with the others that had dived in. She heard the rest of her team jump over the wall in their own way. She saw that Kamui and his sister had started carving a path through the Grimm straight down the middle while; Kamui's "team" was trying to keep up or try to keep the Grimm away from the firewall. Ruby was a little surprised with the way that Kamui and his sister tore through the Grimm especially since she knew that Kamui was a bit tired. Then again she had to remember that there were two Legacies fighting now, not just one. Never underestimate a Legacy after all. She shuddered internally at the prospect of being on the receiving end of Camilla's axe.

"Ruby, get your head in the fight!" Weiss shouted and Ruby blinked before she realized that Weiss had skewered a Beowolf that was about to claw her face off. Ruby shook her head out of her stupor and quickly returned the favor by jumping over Weiss and swinging her scythe in a big arc, slicing down multiple Grimm at once.

"We can worry about the exact details later, Rubes!" Yang shouted over the roars of Grimm and all the fighting. Ruby sighed as she pulled her gaze away from Kamui, usually they fought together but he had someone else to team up with now. She shook her head though and focused on the fight.

"It looks like Atlas' robots actually can do their job," Ruby heard Yang say. Ruby hacked a few Grimm down before she realized that Atlas had dropped a bunch of their new Knights into the area to combat the threat. They weren't exactly up to par but there were so many of them that even the powerful and experienced Grimm were overwhelmed. The Legacies, plus the two dragons flying overhead (she still called them both dragons) and the Professors, Team CFVY and Sun and Neptune were there as well. The Grimm were starting to really be pushed back now that so many fighters were on the field. Ruby even saw Coco mow down all the Nevermore's with one volley of her minigun. She had to ask her how she made it able to turn into a suitcase.

"Team RWBY!" Ruby's spine tingled when she heard the rather annoyed tone of her teacher hit her ears. She shifted her sight over in the direction of the voice and she gulped slightly when she saw Professor Goodwitch walking towards them like Grimm didn't surround her. Any Grimm in her way was literally thrown somewhere or torn apart with a flick of her crop. Ruby saw Professor Port and Oobleck shooting Grimm down as well but she paid more attention to the blonde professor since she seemed particularly annoyed.

"Uh oh…" Yang said and Ruby silently agreed. When Goodwitch finally reached them she huffed and flicked her crop to the side, sending the Grimm they were fighting away like a wave.

"What happened?! And where is Team JNPR! I see Mr. Legacy is a bit indisposed so I shall ask you…Miss Rose?" Goodwitch asked as she crossed her arms like they were still at school. She flicked her wrist when the Grimm tried to approach them again, sending them flying in oblivion practically in pieces, literally. Ruby chuckled nervously and looked at her team for help but they shrugged, pushing it on her.

"…Traitors…uh…Team JNPR is holding the exit to keep the Grimm in. We sort of found Torchwick and the White Fang and they rammed a train into the tunnel under the city…" Ruby said quickly. Goodwitch seemed a little surprised by the news and she placed her hand under her chin as she went into thought about it. Ruby saw a Beowolf Alpha charging at them and she was about to shout but before she could, Goodwitch literally just flicked her crop towards the Grimm, tearing it shreds with her semblance. Ruby blinked and sweat dropped a little, her teacher was scary, almost as scary as Camilla.

"We'll hear your report more in detail later, for now we need to push the Grimm back," Goodwitch said with authority as she snapped her crop into her hand. Ruby steeled herself back up and was about to call for one of her team moves but before she could, there was a loud roar that came from the breach. This roar was different from the rest though, it was much louder for one but it sounded a lot more…measured like it was intelligent almost, not like Nyx though. Ruby didn't know how to place it. Goodwitch tensed up too though, so Ruby knew that her instincts were on point.

"It can't be…" Goodwitch said as out of the breach came a large elephant looking Grimm. A Goliath if Ruby recalled and boy did it live up to its name. The thing was huge, as big as the breach was, this thing barely fit through it. It roared again when it stood up fully and Ruby had to cover her ears to keep the sound down. The rest of her team did too and even the other Grimm around them seemed to pause. Everyone paused at the roar, even the other teachers and the Legacies.

"Great…" Yang drawled as she cocked her gauntlets again. The Goliath let out a softer roar next and then it started charging right for Ruby and her team. Ruby flinched and she clenched her hands onto her weapon as she prepared to face the giant Grimm. She heard Kamui shout her name but other than that, she blocked it out.

"Stay behind me!" Goodwitch shouted as she moved in front of them. She cast one of her spells, forming one of her glyphs in front of the large behemoth. The large Grimm bowled through its smaller bretherin, even stepping on some of the unlucky ones. It bashed into the purple glyph and was actually repelled back a few feet. Though that just seemed to anger it since it just started ramming into the Glyph again and again. Ruby would have been in awe but she noticed Professor Goodwitch tense in front of her. Ruby hoped that the two dragons above would have come down to take on the Grimm but when she looked up she saw that they were both busy fighting off the flying Grimm.

"Why would this thing come here now, doesn't it know it won't succeed!" Goodwitch shouted, more to herself apparently since she didn't address Ruby or her team.

"How do we stop it!?" Weiss shouted.

"The Beacon staff will handle it, though the smaller Grimm are making this a little more annoying than needed…" Goodwitch grunted as she repelled the smaller Grimm around them as she still maintained her Glyph, keeping the Goliath at bay. Ruby looked over at the others fighting the Grimm, they were making their way over to them, at least Kamui was but it was like the smaller Grimm were just trying to stall them. Even Atlas' Knights were having trouble cutting them all down even though they had the numbers.

"Look out!" Yang shouted and Ruby tore her gaze from the battle around them back to the Goliath. It got tired of ramming it's head into the Glyph and had decided to stab at the thing with it's tusks. The first few hits did nothing but soon enough Ruby saw cracks starting to form on the Glyph. Goodwitch noticed too since she started throwing some of her spells at the Grimm itself. The spells only seemed to do superficial damage though and the Glyph was cracking even further.

"Stubborn thing…" Goodwitch swore as she waved her crop in a circle, forming a purple orb. Then she pointed her crop at the Goliath, flinging the orb at the Grimm. It passed through the Glyph harmlessly and went right for the Grimm. Before it hit it though, Ruby saw it disperse into a few other beams. Each beam hit a leg or its face with loud sheering sounds. This time damage was dealt, Ruby could see gashes appear on the large Grimm and parts of its mask were blown off as well. One of its eyes was also taken out. The Grimm let out a roar of what Ruby would call pure anger, similar to Yang when someone cut her hair. The goliath reared back onto its back-legs and then when it came back down, it smashed through Goodwitch's glyph.

"Ump!" The force knocked Goodwitch back and Yang barely managed to catch the professor and even then she was knocked off her feet, acting as a pillow for the teacher. Her sis groaned under the blonde teacher, who seemed a bit surprised that she was actually knocked back.

"Incoming!" Weiss shouted and Ruby turned her gaze back to the Goliath that was now charging right for them. The other Grimm seemed to understand that the Goliath had claimed them as its prey since none of them tried to go after them now. Ruby could have easily gotten out of the way…but she'd be leaving her team behind if she did that and a teacher. She looked at Weiss and Blake who were thinking the same thing from the determined looks on their faces. Ruby was about to order her team to go for the legs but before she could, there was a loud crack. It took Ruby a few moments to realize that the crack was the Goliath's legs getting knocked out from under it. Ruby blinked as the mighty Grimm crumbled onto it's side.

"Who…" Ruby thought and then she blinked when she saw a lone man standing on top of the Goliath, specifically it was a man they all knew.

"Professor Ozpin!" Ruby shouted. Ozpin was standing on top of the Goliath as if he thought it was the normal ground. He held his cane in one hand and he looked as passive as ever like he wasn't standing in the middle of a battle. When the Goliath moved around he stamped his cane down into the Goliath and Ruby saw the bone armor of the Goliath literally crack from the force and she was sure that the cane went through also. The Goliath cried out in pain and fell back down into a heap. He pulled his cane out of the Grimm and stepped down from the Grimm and started walking towards Ruby and her team. Except before he got too far the Goliath literally jumped onto its feet and roared at Ozpin's back and tried to bowl him over. Ozpin stopped and turned to look at the Grimm and then he grabbed hold of the top portion of his cane and Ruby saw him unsheathe a sword just barely and then he moved so fast that even Ruby had trouble seeing him. She thought she saw him slash here and there but she couldn't see his full movements. Then he just appeared where he was before and pushed his sword back into his cane like he never moved in the first place. Then the Goliath's head came clean off and fell to the ground, followed shortly by the body. Then Ozpin started walking towards them again.

"Cool…" Ruby said softly, followed by similar sounds from her teammates. She shouldn't have been surprised; Ozpin was the headmaster of Beacon after all. Only the best could lead the best so they say, no wonder why everyone respected him so much. He remained passive during his whole walk. A few Grimm that stuck around them tried to go after him but with a flick of his cane, he took them all down like nothing. There were few Grimm around them now anyway since they were beginning to be pushed back to the breach.

"Team RWBY, I see your mission did not go as planned…" Ozpin said calmly as he stopped in front of them for a moment. Ruby chuckled nervously and scratched her head in an embarrassed manner as the Headmaster passed them and offered his hand to Professor Goodwitch who seemed a little surprised like she hadn't processed that he was there. She took his hand and allowed him to help her up and Ruby thought he saw her cheeks flush slightly.

"Heya Professor Ozpin! Tired of being cooped up in that tower!" Yang chirped as she jumped up from the ground.

"Indeed, I believed this would require all hands on deck so to say," Ozpin said simply as he stamped his cane in front of him.

"Where's James then?" Goodwitch asked with a huff. James? Did she mean General Ironwood?

"He's commanding his fleet right now, why do you think all the Knights and ships are running around," Ozpin answered evenly though he did sound a little annoyed, which was a bit confusing.

"But that can all come later, right now we must seal the Breach. Kamui, Camilla and the others seem to be cleaning up most of the Grimm, now. Glynda if you would?" Ozpin asked kindly as he turned to the gaping hole in the ground. Goodwitch nodded with what Ruby thought was a smile and then she waved her crop towards the hole. All the rubble around the area began to levitate and just like back at school, she fixed the giant hole in the ground. It didn't even look like there was a hole in the ground recently now. Ruby really needed to ask her how she got things to repair themselves like that.

"There, now it should be a simple matter to clear the rest of the Grimm out now that they're not pouring in," Goodwitch said and Ruby thought she detected a slight weariness in her voice. Perhaps fighting that Goliath was harder than originally thought.

"Good as new…now we just need to get rid of the rest of the Grimm…" Ozpin said casually as he tapped his cane into the ground softly before he placed one of his hands on Glynda's shoulders.

"Prepare the night brew when you get back to Beacon, Glynda. I believe that council will be at my throat when I return…" Ozpin said and this time he wasn't calm, he actually sounded…angry?

"Of course…" Goodwitch replied as she touched Ozpin's arm gently. Ruby chose that moment to motion her team to start cleaning up the Grimm. There were only a few Grimm left now but Team RWBY was still on duty after all.

 **A Few Minutes later**

"So many Grimm…" Ruby sighed tiredly as she saw down on the ground, next to Kamui. The rest of her team collapsed next to them as well. She had cut down more Grimm than she could count, even more than when they landed in Glenn. That added onto the fact that they had pretty much been fighting through the night to now took its tool.

"It was an invasion…" Kamui replied softly, sounding ready to sleep himself, though to his credit he seemed better than the rest of them. His sister and his "team" were off escorting Roman and a few of the other surviving White Fang onto Bullheads. Surprisingly they didn't put up much of a fight, especially Roman. He fought so hard to cause the Breach and he'd been so quick to escape before so what was different now?

"You guys look tired," Ruby giggled slightly as she turned to see JNPR coming towards them. They all looked better than Ruby and her team did but that wasn't saying much. The only difference was really that RWBY had participated in the majority of the fight against the invasion. Even then, JNPR was involved for some time and they did have to hold the chokepoint by themselves though it was significantly less Grimm than what everyone in the square had to deal with.

"That happens when you stay up for a whole night fighting to the afternoon of the next day…" Blake said dryly though she hadn't meant any offence. Everyone shared a small laugh at that and JNPR sat down with them and Ruby noticed Pyrrha sit rather close to Jaune to the point where she was leaning on him. Surprisingly Jaune didn't shy away from the contact too much and Ruby shared a small knowing look with Kamui before she leaned herself against the Rider. She also noticed Weiss let out a huff and start fiddling with her nails like she always did when she was annoyed or trying to appear calm.

"We have to get those two together before the festival…" Ruby whispered and Kamui seemed surprised by her words but he smiled and nodded in consent. Though Ruby would admit that she had no idea what they were going to do exactly to get those two to confess.

"So I guess this is it then? I mean we caught Roman and we stopped the invasion before it could get any worse…so we won right?" Jaune asked hesitantly. Ruby looked around the square that they had been fighting for their lives in until recently. Most of the Grimm except for the really large ones had completely evaporated already. Team CFVY was walking around some of the destroyed buildings and she saw Coco go into one of the buildings and come out with an armful of clothes and then Velvet started yelling at her, probably that she was "stealing". Neptune and Sun were around though they seemed to be giving their group some space. She saw General Ironwood saying something to Ozpin and the other professors and he seemed rather angry though the Headmaster was passive through the whole thing. Then she saw Mercury and Emerald take Roman from Camilla and the rest of Kamui's "Team" before they pushed the criminal into one of the bullheads.

"We did win, it could have been a lot worse," Ruby said as cheerfully as she could. Yang and Nora gave off a small "yay" though they sounded less energetic. She looked up at Kamui and he seemed deep in thought as he stared at the Bullhead that carried Roman off.

"Kamui?" she asked. He turned to her when she called him and he gave her a look saying "later" before he smiled and spoke.

"Well, where do you guys want to celebrate our first successful mission? I did promise to treat after all," Kamui said. Everyone gave a small groan or something along those lines.

"Can we worry about that later, I feel tired and the Vytal Festival is next week," Weiss yawned as she stretched.

"Yeah, I think I've had enough excitement for now," Yang agreed. Wow things really were off if Yang and Weiss were agreeing on something so easily.

"Alright then, I guess the party will be put on hold," Kamui joked though Ruby had a feeling he didn't want to party.

"Should we get back then? I really want to sleep in a bed this time," Jaune sighed as he rubbed his back.

"Right, let's go then," Yang said as she hoped onto her feet. Everyone else stood up as well and Ruby noticed Pyrrha latch herself to Jaune's arm. The blonde knight flushed but he didn't seem to mind and then she saw him limp slightly, even though his injuries should have healed since he wasn't in the heavy fighting. Still though it gave Ruby an idea. She glomped Kamui's back, making him jolt slightly.

"Kamui, I'm tired…carry me…" she whined softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kamui laughed softly but he didn't refuse as he adjusted them so he was holding her legs and carried her in a piggyback fashion. The others were too exhausted or too used to the display to really tease them, even Yang. Ruby sighed softly as she rested on her boyfriend's back as they made their way back to their school. There was a lot on her mind again but she'd worry about it later…she'd earned her time to rest. She closed her eyes and let darkness take her.


	16. There is No Death

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone, I'm here with another chapter for you. I was looking forward to this part for some time. It always bugged me that in the show they never really touched on the fact that the characters were seriously maiming or killing the bag guys and by bad guys I mean like the little grunts or peons. They're kids for crying out loud, no one shakes off death like nothing, at least these guys don't give that impression except for maybe Blake, Ren and Nora.

No they never actually showed the actual deaths but I mean most of the grunts they were defeating aren't tough like them. We've seen Ruby and some of the others cut Grimm clean in half rather easily. That same force could cleave a person in two as well, even if they had aura. Plus I doubt that the random idiots they fight actually have auras that stack up to the main cast except for the bosses. Even then there's the White Fang that were all killed in the Breach that didn't make it out of the tunnel. So I decided while I was thinking this story up that I would try to put in a sort of episode where they try to figure out how to deal with their first killing. Remember they're all fifteen to seventeen year olds.

This idea is far from unique to me, there are a couple other fics on this site that address this as well, Biohazard by Cosmic Sky and A Knight a Champion and a Rose by Whynoteh being the two off the top of my head. Great fics by the way, check them out if you haven't, they both go pretty deep into the dark depths that are never really shown on the show.

Also I have a response for the review on the last chapter. You are reading into things just fine, Buddy909. Yes, if things go well, Ruby and Kamui can be together forever. That thing you mentioned was not a typo, it was meant to be there. I never directly said it though I mentioned it multiple times that people with aura have a sort of immortality. Think of it like the Guardians from Destiny, they have a kind of immortality but not invulnerability. This is my take on people with their aura unlocked. It's just that the people with their aura unlocked generally have something unfortunate befall them before they get too old, being a Hunter is a dangerous job after all and they can be trained for everything except for coincidence or bad luck.

Anyway enough of that, I hope this part is up to standards and not too forced. Have fun and please like/fav and review!

Chapter 15: There is no Death

 **Kamui's POV**

"It looks so peaceful right now…you wouldn't think there was any conflict yesterday if you just gazed from here…" Kamui thought as he stared out the window of his dorm. He was still alone since his Vytal Team were all settled in somewhere else and he appreciated the solitude a bit. He hadn't slept as much as he thought he would and had woken up in the middle of the night. He went ahead and started the repair process of his armor, and sped it up with his aura. The small scratches and scorch marks were easily repaired even without his speedup. Then he spent some time cleaning the blood off his things but even that didn't pass enough time for the sun to rise. It was about four in the morning; the sun hadn't come up yet at all.

He pondered the invasion and what had happened before and after. None of the group assigned to the mission were called to give a report. Kamui was surprised that Ozpin or Goodwitch didn't message him to make a report too. He had a feeling that the Vale Council and Ironwood had decided to believe whatever they thought up about the incident. They were probably going to find a way to label the blame on Ozpin and he wouldn't be surprised if the council found a way to put blame on his family too. The councils or ruling bodies of the kingdoms loved to levy people against the Legacy name as much as possible except for Vacuo. His sister had helped so many people there whether it be from curing illness, helping the hungry or protection from Grimm that the entire kingdom couldn't help but love her. Kamui was brought out of his thoughts though when he saw a familiar red figure run by down in the courtyard towards the training hall. Then a little bit after that he saw a blonde slink out towards the library.

"Strange…" Kamui thought as he stood from his chair. He adjusted his armor and pulled on his cloak and his placed his pin on and stared at it for a few moments. Then he shook his head and picked Yato up and attached it to his belt before he opened his door and left his room. He closed his door behind him quietly and turned towards the exit of the hall only to see Pyrrha leaving her room as well, fully geared up. She probably noticed Jaune leave. She saw him right after he noticed her and she gave him a small smile and held a finger to her lips silently and he nodded. Everyone else in their building was away on a mission; they could talk as soon as they got far enough away from RWBY and JNPR's rooms. Pyrrha waited for him to get to her before they both silently started walking down the hall. As soon as they left the hallway, Pyrrha started.

"You saw Jaune leave the dorm?" Pyrrha asked. Kamui nodded as he walked with his friend.

"Yes, I saw Ruby leave too, Jaune probably just missed her otherwise they might have run off to the same place together. Jaune went off to the library, I assume you'll be chasing after him again?" Kamui asked as they walked down the stairs to the first floor.

"Of course, we both know that he's still shaken from what we did to the White Fang…Ruby too…everyone probably is…" Pyrrha said softly as she played with her hair nervously. Kamui placed his hand on her shoulder gently.

"We did what we had to, Pyrrha, to protect them. I was arrogant enough to believe I could shield them from the flames of battle, real battle," Kamui sighed as they both made their way along the first floor.

"You weren't arrogant, you just wanted to believe that things wouldn't happen. There's nothing wrong with hoping for a better outcome even if it won't come true…Corrin wouldn't want you to give up like that…" Pyrrha said gently and Kamui flinched slightly at the mention of that name. Pyrrha froze as well and she covered her mouth in shock.

"I…I'm sorry, Kamui, I didn't mean to…" Kamui shook his head but he smiled sadly.

"It's alright…she was your friend too just like me…" Kamui said hollowly as he trudged on. He didn't miss the hurt in Pyrrha's eyes as he quickly opened the door to leading outside of the building.

"Go fetch your leader…he needs you just like Ruby needs me right now…" Kamui said softly before he walked off towards the training hall, eager to get away from the subject. Thankfully Pyrrha didn't try to stop him and he didn't need to turn back to know that she went on her way.

"Corrin…" Kamui thought as he felt his heart ache. Corrin was the name given to his twin, his twin sister. He never thought about her that much unless his birthday came around, he used his semblance or he stared at his own eyes in a mirror too long. Years ago he couldn't even look in a mirror too long since he shared a lot of his twin's features back then. He used to have jet-black hair and more color to his skin. It got easier over time since his hair had turned completely white and his skin paled. His siblings said that it was because his Nephilim state was leaking over into his human form even though he didn't gain control over his transform until recently. It was something only someone who truly accepted their Nephilim heritage could do, so they say. Camilla had gone through the same thing but Ryoma and Takumi had not from what he heard. Kamui shook himself out of his inner turmoil though when he arrived at the training hall. He put his thoughts in order before he entered the building.

"The halls are so quiet…" Kamui thought as he walked through the halls. The only sound was the sound of his own footsteps or the shifting of his armor as he moved. The empty hall amplified the sound as well, making everything a bit more eerie than needed.

Everyone was either too tired from the invasion or still out on missions. Most of the school was in the latter, even the students from the other academies. The few people that were around, teacher or students were recovering from the invasion. At least that's what his friend's were doing, all except for two. His little reaper and Jaune Arc. Pyrrha would handle Jaune though while he went after his reaper.

"Hiya!" right on queue when Kamui turned another corner he heard the recognizable war cry of Ruby followed by the sound of cutting metal. Kamui chuckled slightly and hurried over to the main training room, she was probably fighting against a bunch of the training bots they had, curtsey of Atlas. Kamui didn't like training against them since it wasn't the same as fighting a person. There was no intuition or instinct in the machines, no matter how strong they were that would prove to be their downfall against someone who knew what they were doing. Something Ironwood needed to understand. It wasn't his Knights that stopped the Grimm, it was the Hunters and Students of Beacon and more.

"Yah!" Kamui entered the room and smiled as he saw Ruby cut down a couple Atlesian Knights before she twirled Crescent Rose overhead and hacked another one down. Then she jumped in the air quickly when the last Knight tried to shoot her. She fired Crescent Rose, sending her to the side quickly. She had gotten much better at controlling herself at high speeds compared to when Kamui first sparred against her. Though now he could see just how much she really improved, during direct battle whether it was against her or with her it was harder for him to tell. Now he could admire her at work though.

Ruby sped around the final knight as it tried to lock onto her with it's targeting systems. Sure it could be precise but not on something move faster than the normal person could see. Then there was the sudden satisfying click of an empty gun. Kamui smiled as Ruby stopped her motion and quickly adjusted Crescent Rose towards the Knight and fired herself off again, using her semblance for the extra amp. Then she hacked the machine in half. She did all that in the few seconds of the robot trying to reload its gun. Kamui started clapping and Ruby flinched but when she saw that it was him she blushed and scratched the back of her head.

"Impressive, your reaction time and your moves are even smoother than I thought, though I suppose it's fitting for you," Kamui complimented as he approached her. He noticed that her hair was ruffled up more than usual and not in the lazy way. Her eyes while still sharp had bags under them like she didn't get any actual rest while she slept. Her silver eyes while wide and happy to see him also held sadness and anxiety in them too. His smile broke into a frown and she easily sensed what was coming since her eyes left his and focused on the ground.

"You're tired…" Kamui said as he stood in front of her. Ruby shifted nervously on her feet like she was caught doing something bad and he wanted to hug her but he figured that might not work.

"I…I just felt like I needed to do something so I thought I might as well train…" Ruby said slowly. Kamui frowned again but he figured that it would be a good idea to try and expend that supposed excess energy she felt.

"Well then…how about I help you then?" Kamui answered as he drew his sword. Ruby looked up at him and he just tilted his head at her with a smile. Ruby smiled back at him, some of her usual easy going persona filling her face finally.

"I'd like that…" Ruby said as she twirled her scythe around and Kamui raised his sword up. Their eyes locked and after a few heartbeats they clashed.

 **Jaune's POV**

Jaune was sitting on the roof of the library, his legs dangling off of the edge of the building. He held Corcea Mors, the blade in his hands. He had cleaned the blade when he got back to his dorm yesterday but it still felt unclean even though he made sure the thing was spotless. Heck, he even cleaned the shield and the inside of the sheath too. He got rid of the clothes he was wearing and put on clean clothes after a shower. Anything to get all the red off. He kept seeing flashes of the blade covered in blood, the blood of the people he killed yesterday…

"Isn't this what I asked for?" Jaune asked himself as he held the sword up and stared at his reflection in the sword. Jaune wasn't as naïve to believe that he would only be fighting Grimm as a hunter. He knew he would have to fight people, he knew he would have to kill people. He didn't know why he was moping so much though; Corcea Mors had taken more people's lives than he probably knew. It was used in the Great War and the Faunus Revolution after all and even before that most likely. Was he really just having problems because now he had added to the count of lives taken by the blade?

"I'm pathetic…" Jaune muttered as he put his sword on his lap again. He knew it was going to happen the moment he agreed to go on the mission, why couldn't he just put it in its place. He took no joy in it, wasn't that enough for his heart? Apparently not…he was also haunted by the images of Kamui, Pyrrha and Ruby surrounded by blood and bodies. The looks on their faces when they killed people...especially the way Kamui's eyes lit up. And the other two were just…fine with it all…

"Jaune?" Jaune tensed when his name was called and he turned quickly to see Pyrrha standing there, looking at him worriedly. Jaune stood quickly and put his sword back in its sheath before he tried to put on a smile for his partner and…crush. His feelings were clearer now that he wasn't under stress of pain. Or perhaps the pain had forced his brain to really process what his heart was telling him. He still felt a pull for Weiss but…she wanted to be with Neptune and he even helped her get with him. Pyrrha had always been there for him though… The threat of death tends to do that to you, so they say and Jaune could agree now. Still though, it didn't dissipate his belief that he wasn't worthy of her.

"Hey Pyrrha…" Jaune said as kindly as he could with a heavy heart. Pyrrha didn't seem to buy it since she still looked at him worriedly. She went up to him and he felt his heartbeat quicken as she stood rather close to him.

"Why are you out here so early?" Pyrrha asked and Jaune chuckled slightly as he scratched his head, nervously.

"Well I was trying to get some training in…I don't want to sit out of the fight so much next time," Jaune threw out. He wasn't lying exactly, he felt like crap for being stuck on the outskirts of the breach, even though he did still fight. His team tried to keep him from doing anything and he felt so guilty for that. That added onto his disgust for killing wasn't a nice combo. The adrenaline of the breach kept him from breaking down but now he had no adrenaline pumping through him to cover his guilt.

"You weren't training Jaune, I've been waiting here for ten minutes for you to notice me," Pyrrha said with sad eyes and Jaune cursed himself for that.

"Well I um…." Jaune was out of excuses; he couldn't say he was taking a break since she would call him out on that. He wasn't up there for much longer than ten minutes.

"Jaune, what's wrong? You can tell me…is it about? What we did in the tunnels and Glenn?" Pyrrha asked as she placed one of her hands on his chest and her other on his cheek. Jaune stared into her emerald green eyes, pleading for him to speak to her. She looked so lovely despite the fact that she was sad, Jaune wanted nothing more than to talk to her but he felt like he couldn't…

"I…I'm fine Pyrrha…it's nothing…" Jaune said, knowing that he failed at sounding reassuring. He felt Pyrrha's hand on his jacket tighten and her eyes darkened slightly as she sucked in a breath.

"That's it?" she asked simply. Jaune blinked and he tilted his head at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry?" he said and Pyrrha's eyes sharpened immediately into a glare and Jaune flinched and then he felt a stinging pain on his left cheek followed by his body hitting the ground. He groaned as he rolled onto his back, his head spinning from the blow. It only took a few seconds for his head to clear and he saw two golden plated legs stomping towards him. Then he felt someone sit on his lap followed by a hand gripping him by his jacket. He looked up to see that Pyrrha had situated herself above him and she wasn't looking pleased whatsoever. She wrenched him up so her blazing emerald eyes could stare into his and then she raised her hand and slapped him, sending his head to the side.

"You promised you wouldn't try to do things like this again!" she shouted as she slapped him again. Jaune just closed his eyes and accepted the pain.

"You promised that you would come to me if you were having problems! This counts as a problem, Jaune!" another slap followed her shout but Jaune did take her words to heart, how could he not?

"We all killed people Jaune! You killed people! I know you're not all right; you're too good to feel ok with what you did! You think the others aren't feeling something similar!?" Pyrrha shouted and this time Jaune felt her fist connect with his face instead of a slap. Jaune winced more from the words than the actual hit. He knew that the others all took what they did hard except for maybe Kamui and Pyrrha. The reason for that though, scared Jaune more than the fact that they killed people in general.

"So it seems that I have to beat some sense into that thick head of yours since reason won't work! You have to talk to me about this! Everyone needs someone to talk to when things like this happen! Ren and Nora have each other! Weiss has Yang and Blake and vice versa! Ruby and Kamui have each other! I'm here for you! Remember your promise that you made to me that night! An Arc never goes back on his word remember?!" Pyrrha yelled. She didn't hit him again and instead forced him to look into her eyes. They weren't glaring at him anymore exactly, they were full of tears and Jaune felt his heart crack at seeing her so sad, knowing that he caused it. He tried to speak but Pyrrha pressed her finger to his lips. She shook her head softly and giggled softly despite the tears.

"No Jaune…no more dumb words…it's my turn to speak now…and act…" Pyrrha said softly and then she leaned towards him, making Jaune's brain go haywire. She removed her finger from his lips and closed the distance between their faces before Jaune could register more and then he felt her soft lips touch against his own. Jaune's eyes widened as his…crush no…his love kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his back a pulled him deeper into the kiss. Jaune closed his eyes slowly and gave into the gesture, he'd be an idiot not to. Even he wasn't that much of an idiot. He did what he could to return the kiss, he heard Pyrrha sigh happily when he wrapped his arms around her. He poured all of the pent up affection he had been unknowingly accumulating for the redhead into the kiss. His heart fluttered happily as he kissed her, he almost couldn't believe that it was happening. After Weiss he felt like he would never find a girl interested in him even slightly, let alone his gorgeous partner. He whined softly when Pyrrha broke the kiss and he opened his eyes to see her smiling at him so lovingly that his heart felt like it would melt…again.

"Was that a good enough way to show you that I'm here for you?" Pyrrha asked a bit smugly. Jaune blushed badly and he felt a lump in his throat, he didn't speak in fear of sounding like a complete idiot. Pyrrha giggled and leaned herself against his chest snugly and Jaune just adjusted his arms around her so that he could comb her soft hair. Pyrrha sighed happily when he did that and Jaune felt a smile work its way onto his face.

"So uh…does this mean that we're…boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Jaune asked, dumbly. He heard Pyrrha giggle softly before she slapped his chest playfully.

"Of course you big dummy…" she giggled and Jaune laughed and scratched his head, nervously again. He heard Pyrrha sigh though and then she pulled away from his chest and placed her hands on his shoulders so she could look at him clearly.

"Jaune…I know it's hard…killing a person…I…I understand that it's a bit…eye-opening to the world around you. It helps if you lean on the ones you care about, it really does. It is very rare to just…bounce back on your own. I've only seen a few people do that before and even then they were still in pain. I guarantee you that Ruby and the others are going through the same thing…" Pyrrha said and Jaune frowned as he brought his hands up to cup her face gently. He leaned his forehead against hers and Pyrrha flushed at the contact and Jaune did too.

"I…I'm sorry Pyrrha…I just…I didn't know how to deal with it and I just wanted to take myself away from the group to sort things out on my own…" Jaune mumbled and Pyrrha shook her head at that.

"I understand…I did the same thing, partly anyway. I had sworn myself into Kamui's service and I took it very seriously. One-day things just…didn't play out for the best and I was forced to take lives to protect my charge even though he probably didn't need it. I felt terrible for what I did, even if it could be considered justified. The horrible irony was that I finally earned my praise from the other people who were born into service, I couldn't accept it though. I tried to lock myself away just like you as a way to punish myself, I ignored my comrades and my friends for a few years even…I threw myself at my training and didn't exactly take care of myself, thankfully my mother was there to but still. Then after around a third year of doing that to myself, do you know what happened?" Pyrrha asked as she moved herself so she was sitting next to him. Jaune had an idea but he wasn't exactly sure. He shrugged and Pyrrha giggled and boy did Jaune love the sound of that, she rarely did that after all.

"Kamui came up to me and knocked me on my ass and called me an idiot. Remember when I said we had a duel around four years ago? He challenged me there to a duel and while it technically ended in a draw, I believe he really won since he succeeded in beating sense into my thick skull," Pyrrha laughed a bit at the end of her little story and Jaune couldn't help but laugh as well. It was a little funny thinking about a little version of Kamui slugging Pyrrha onto the ground. While Kamui was certainty growing he was still shorter than Pyrrha was when he first met him.

"That's a little hard to picture…" Jaune said and Pyrrha pushed him softly with a laugh.

"Don't say that to his face unless you want him to take over your training for a full week," Pyrrha half joked. Jaune paled a little at the thought. When Kamui had deemed his swordsmanship as "not amateurish" he had sat in, participated and even taken over his training from time to time. Pyrrha remained his prime teacher but learning from a true devoted swordsman was essential so she said. Kamui's training was helpful but it revolved around it usually being beaten into his body, it worked but it still hurt.

"Don't be so glum, it's how he learned and look how well he turned out," Pyrrha laughed and Jaune grumbled something along the lines of "easy for you to say, you didn't have numb hands for a day".

"So how do you cope with everything you've done then, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, returning to the subject at hand. Pyrrha sighed and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"To be honest, I never put it down for good, I still feel guilt for killing. But I couldn't let it drag me down. It's never been pretty to me and I doubt it ever will be but that's fine. I don't ever want to feel that way about death. We do it because we must in order to protect something; at least that's what I believe every good person holds in his or her heart," Pyrrha said and Jaune sighed as he wrapped his arm around her. It wasn't the sage words he was hoping for exactly but then again, could anything sound nice when talking about killing?

"That sounds good to me…" Jaune said and Pyrrha hummed softly in contentment and then Jaune figured he should say something else.

"I promise I won't try to turn away from you or our team or our other friends again…" Jaune swore and he felt Pyrrha snuggle against him more and he figured she was going to say something but she didn't. They just sat their for a few silent moments until Pyrrha gave off a small huff and slapped his chest again.

"You're supposed to ask me out on a date now…" Pyrrha pouted and Jaune flinched and swore in his head for looking like a complete idiot again. Pyrrha smiled at him though and shook her head before she snuggled up to him again.

"Don't worry, I know…the answer is yes by the way. And I want you to take me out to my favorite restaurant in Vale, don't worry I'll tell you where it is and give you a few days to prepare reservations," Pyrrha said and Jaune flushed in embarrassment. Pyrrha laughed at his expression and whatever embarrassment Jaune felt was dropped since he just loved the sound of her laugh. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face up to his and he caught her cheeks flush the same color as her hair again and he couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"Well I didn't forget one thing…I love you Pyrrha…" he said honestly and Pyrrha's eyes widened and her emerald eyes lit up in happiness and she leaned up towards his face but she paused right before her lips met his.

"I love you too, Jaune…my shinning knight…" she whispered before she closed the distance between them and sent Jaune's mind into mush again. Things were definitely looking up now.

 **Kamui's POV**

"Fast…" Kamui thought as he eased his head out of Ruby's scythe just barely. He thrust his sword towards her right hand but she slammed the shaft of her scythe down into his sword, forcing it down, making it sink into the ground. Then she used him as her support and lifted herself above Crescent Rose and tried to dual kick him. Kamui's eyes widened at the speed she pulled the maneuver. Still he managed to dodge her kicked but letting go of his sword and grabbed Ruby's legs, stopping her blow before it came. He heard Ruby yelp as he spun her around once and tossed her. Of course Ruby regained her bearings while she was thrown and flipped onto her feet as she touched the ground. Her silver eyes locked on his again, filled with determination.

"She has a fire brewing today…" Kamui thought as he pulled his sword from the ground and tapped the top two spheres of his Yato, letting the blade transform into its katana form. He held his sword in his usual mid stance, blade pointed towards his opponent. Ruby was different now; he hadn't landed a solid strike on her once since the match started until recently. They'd been fighting for half an hour now and usually he would have hit her at least three times, instead he only hit her once. They didn't even have their usual banter; Ruby was putting everything into this fight, more than usual. Ruby twirled her scythe around in one of her usual flourishes and pointed the weapon towards him and his body tensed. She narrowed her eyes at him and then for a moment her eyes lit up, literally. Kamui's eyes widened at the show. Then before he could do anything she just lunged at him.

"Silver Eyes? Glowing?" those words ran through Kamui's head as she lunged at him. He grit his teeth and dodged her strike but she fluidly twisted her scythe around before it touched the ground and slashed towards him. Kamui blocked it with his sword but his arms tensed since the strike was harder than usual, normally he would just push her off but this time she had real strength behind it that made his arms shake almost.

Kamui grunted but he refused to give in and pushed her weapon back. Then he slashed at Crescent Rose twice, once to knock it downwards and again to knock it to the side. It had the desired effect, Ruby was knocked off balance. Her eyes widened in surprise as Kamui slashed towards her gut. The slash hit true, slashing against her aura sharply. Ruby lurched forward slightly, her red aura flashing as it absorbed the blow. She glared at him though, her eyes staring into his as her silver eyes lit again. Then in a surprising move, one of her hands let go of Crescent Rose and she slugged him hard, across the cheek. Kamui's head snapped to the side, his cheek burning even though his aura absorbed the blow. While it didn't exactly hurt too much it hurt more than it should have. That wasn't right, Ruby would never do something like that unless she was desperate, she had trouble punching a White Fang Grunt in the face. That was why they were in such a hurry to find her when they found out she was unarmed in the first place!

Kamui's eyes sharpened and he turned back to Ruby as she raised her hand to hit him again but this time he batted her punch away and slashed her across her chest again, sending her stumbling back a few feet. She regained her footing and brought Crescent Rose up to strike but he wouldn't let her. He stamped his foot into the ground, sending a wave of flames towards her feet, making her yelp and back off a few more steps to not get licked by the flames. Then Kamui closed in, his sword raised but as he closed in Ruby's eyes lit up even more almost blindingly so. Kamui powered through though and slashed his sword towards her but right as his blade was about to make contact, Ruby vanished, a bunch of rose petals left where she was. His blade went through nothing but air and petals, making his eyes widen in shock.

Kamui's senses screamed at him and he ducked, hearing the wind crack from Crescent Rose flying over him. He turned to slash at her but his blade met something and it wasn't Ruby, it was her scythe. Then he felt her boot hit his chest plate, making him grit his teeth. He wasn't knocked over but the force of the blow was strong enough to send him skidding across the ground. He barely had time to block her next strike from her scythe, but then she quickly pulled her scythe back and slashed his sword at the right moment to send his arm to the side. His eyes widened as she actually parried him correctly, sending his blade up. Then she twirled her scythe around perfectly and slashed him clean across his chest.

His aura absorbed the blow, saving his armor from a vicious cut and then she followed it up with a kick. Kamui was about to dodge it but then he felt the gravity pull on him and his eyes widened when he saw that he was caught in Ruby's Dragon Vein. He tanked the kick, sending him flying. Kamui grunted as he absorbed all the blows, he felt his aura take a noticeable dive and while he was excited that he was actually being pressed… he felt…elated actually. He heard Ruby quick footsteps as she charged towards him and he turned to her, his vision turning red. Ruby's silver eyes widened as he quickly pulled himself up, narrowly dodging her strike, which hit the ground under him. She lifted her leg to kick him and Kamui's eyes narrowed as the strike came. She activated her Dragon Vein again and Kamui felt the weight pull down on him.

"No...I can't lose now…not when things are getting so…good…" Kamui said as he caught her foot in his hand, unaffected by the pull. His focus narrowed onto Ruby, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"I am the Rider of War!" Kamui roared more to himself than anything as he pushed Ruby back, nearly making her fall over. Her Dragon Vein dropped but she immediately regained her footing. However Kamui slashed his sword down on Crescent Rose, forcing it into the ground. Like before, Ruby tried to raise one of her hands to strike him but Kamui did the same and caught her hand in his own.

"I will not be defeated so easily Ruby!" Kamui yelled as he slammed his head into Ruby's. She yelped and stumbled back in a daze, the glow in her eyes fading entirely. Then he followed up by slashing her twice in quick succession across her arm and her torso. She gasped but nonetheless she returned the determined glare that Kamui was giving her. Then Kamui smiled at her, feeling elated.

"This is fun!" Kamui shouted as he closed in on her, sword raised. Ruby actually returned his smile too and then before his sword met her, she disappeared again, leaving only rose petals in her place. Except this time Kamui was ready for this, his eyes found her and followed her and when she struck her scythe met his sword again.

"Yes! This is fun!" Ruby shouted back him. Kamui pushed her off and slashed towards her arm again but she pulled back, except Kamui quickly twisted around and kicked one of her legs out, making her lose balance for a moment, a moment where Kamui met her with a slash to her to her stomach. Ruby gasped, this time pain leaking into her voice more than before. She tried to speed away but Kamui wouldn't let her, he reached out and caught her arm before she could speed away and pulled her in to another head butt, making her yelp in pain.

"Match…" Kamui said as he quickly knocked Crescent Rose out of Ruby's now weakened grasp. Then he pushed her back and brought his sword to bear on her. Except…right before his blade touched her, he veered it off course and punched her in the gut, instead.

"Ugh…" Ruby gagged as the air was knocked out of her and then he saw her eyes lose focus and she slumped towards him, unconscious. He caught her easily enough, easing her onto the ground gently before he fell onto his rear, breathing deeply. He looked down at his little reaper, who seemed rather content now even though she was forcibly knocked out cold. Kamui cracked his neck as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead and ran a hand through his hair. He looked towards the aura monitor and he laughed when he saw the results.

"Well Ruby Rose, I guess we really were meant for each other after all…" Kamui laughed as he looked at their aura meters. Ruby was in the red of course and he was knocked down to yellow, the first time she had managed to do it too and she had knocked him quite a fair bit into the yellow too. She drained him almost as much as the woman on the train or Pyrrha from their match years ago. But still…that glow…it was only for a few moments but it was unmistakable. Though he was hardly one to talk, his eyes basically glowed too though that was usually the light. People who fight a lot were known to have aura leak into their eyes, creating a certain glow but even then that glow seemed different…almost like…Kamui had trouble piecing it together, even the Legacies didn't exactly have knowledge on the subject of glowing silver eyes, at least none that Kamui had access to.

"What are you preparing for Ozpin…" Kamui thought as he sheathed his sword and picked Ruby up and carried her to someplace she could rest more comfortably, he did make sure to pick Crescent Rose up too though.

 **Ruby's POV**

"Mm…" Ruby groaned as she began to awaken. Her body felt sore like she'd just gone through the workout of her life or Yang had taken her with her on one of her body building days. At least she was on a bed… Then she remembered that she was sparring against Kamui and that she was…doing good? Her eyes snapped open and she shot up into a sitting position, her body screaming in protest. Before she got too far though a hand quickly grabbed her shoulder and forced her back down.

"Easy there, Reaper, you've been through quite the ordeal already, no need to stress things anymore," Ruby calmed down when she heard Kamui's voice and she turned to see his worried face staring down at her. Her eyes focused more and she realized that not only was she on a bed, she was on Kamui's bed…in his room. She flushed as she realized that he carried her there from the training hall.

"Uh…why am I in your room?" Ruby asked as she looked back at her Rider. Kamui's eyes widened and he blushed in embarrassment and turned away from her, his flame colored eyes refusing to meet hers. Ruby would have laughed since she found it really cute when he blushed. Except she was a little embarrassed too. Don't get her wrong; she knew he would never do anything that Yang called "bad" with quotes or whatever she was into. Ruby wasn't so naïve to not know what she was talking about though. But she was still in her boyfriend's room…alone with him.

"Well…I didn't want to lay you on a bench or leave you on the floor since I think you wouldn't like waking up to that. I couldn't bring you to the infirmary since the staff wasn't even awake yet and it would cause a scene and…well Yang would find out and I would have to fight her off. I couldn't carry you back to your room since it would be the same thing as the infirmary…" Kamui said nervously as he played with his cloak absentmindedly. Ruby paled at the idea of Yang getting the wrong idea for her unconscious state, she was already grumpy towards Kamui, and Ruby didn't want her to have a real reason to hate him now.

"So how did I do?" Ruby asked cheekily and Kamui scoffed before he turned his gaze back to her.

"Better than ever, you actually managed to bring me into the yellow," Kamui said proudly and Ruby felt elated by the news. She might have lost but she was improving…except that meant Kamui was going to strive to improve as much as she did. It was just like the exams for their first semester all over again, she managed to push him there but then he improved immensely and it was like she was back to stage one. Except then she felt one of his hands grab her shoulder gently, his eyes taking a more somber look.

"So…had any nightmares?" Kamui asked, his tone turning more serious. Ruby blinked and looked at him in a confused manner but the look he gave her made everything click in her head. Her body felt even heavier than before as the subject was turned onto their mission…

"I…I didn't have any nightmares…" Ruby said and Kamui reached down and flicked her head, roughly, making her yelp in pain.

"Don't lie to me…the way you fought me points out that you're a liar…" Kamui said with half a glare and half a worried glance. Ruby whined softly and flinched under his gaze and he sighed before he reached down and combed her dark red/black locks gently.

"No one experiences what you did and feel nothing. Especially people as good as you, I know the rest of your team is probably feeling something similar but they aren't trying to isolate themselves, just you. I won't let this go unaddressed especially since the Vytal Tournament is only a week away now, I won't let you bury yourself," Kamui said, urgently as his hand laid against her cheek gently. Despite the fact that he was wearing his gloves she still felt comforted by his touch. People probably didn't think he could do anything that required gentle hands but she would call all those people idiots and jerks.

"I see the weariness in your eyes. Someone who doesn't know what to feel except for guilt so they throw themselves at their work in your case, training. Pyrrha had a similar look yet yours seems more confused…" Kamui said gently as he caressed her face like she was about to disappear. Ruby grabbed his hand and held it tightly as if to alleviate his fears. Pyrrha…she could see her reacting that way though from the way he spoke it sounded like it was worse for her. Still though, she did feel the need to talk to him about it now.

"I…I never really thought about…killing people as a Hunter. They only talked about killing Grimm…I never thought that I would be turning a weapon on a person…or how easy it was…" Ruby said slowly as she recalled the things she did on the train. She hacked those people down as if they were Grimm. She wasn't so much surprised by the blood as she was surprised by how…easy it was.

The Fang grunts were even weaker than the Beowolves and Ursa's she fought in Emerald Forest and those were considered easy to her now. If cutting through those was like cutting through butter now then cutting through the White Fang was like cutting through…paper, normal notebook paper. Most of the White Fang she fought didn't even have their aura's unlocked. The ones that did hadn't trained up on it's use enough to really stop her cuts. Even the goons she fought in the dust shop months ago were able to shrug off her strikes, though they were knocked out cold. For a time Ruby, Pyrrha and Kamui were alone on that train and they fought through dozens of White Fang and none of them could even touch them despite the fact that they were heavily outnumbering them.

It never occurred to her how powerful they really were compared to normal people. Ruby knew that unlocking one's aura was prohibited unless you were training to become a Hunter or part of the military or police and even then there were restrictions on what people in the latter two were aloud to learn. Hunters were the only ones with real free reign, legal reign anyway. The only other way was if you were living outside of the kingdoms but with all the Grimm, only retired huntsman would even entertain the idea. The kingdoms were very strict with aura and now Ruby understood why. The power granted to them was probably unimaginable to normal people who had never even held a weapon in their lives. Plus they were just students, first years too! Other kids her age who weren't training to be hunters would probably think she was a super hero. Immortal Warriors, sworn to give their lives to stop the Grimm. That's what Hunters were and now Ruby had even more respect for the title than before. Her semblance…she couldn't picture life without it.

Even so, she had trouble processing how…easy it was on the train and even before that. Sure those two guards she met had been able to wrestle her down but they both had aura and she was unarmed and tried to punch them in the gut. Besides that it was just…easy, way easier than it should have been in her mind. When she snapped that person's neck it was…simple, when she shot her victims friends with the gun she stole, it was easy. On the train it was easy, it didn't feel like she was actually fighting, it was so easy.

Ruby shuddered at that thought, all the blood, she still remembered all the blood that was in the car after she, Kamui and Pyrrha had finished their work. She didn't even realize she killed so many until she actually looked around. She wanted to feel guilty but she didn't for some reason. And she felt terrible about it, she felt like such an evil vile person for feeling no guilt for killing all those people. What's worse is that she…didn't hesitate to kill when it came to it she just did it. That's why she tried to exile herself from the others. She saw the guilt on their faces, they all felt guilty for what they did so why couldn't she!?

"Ruby?" Kamui asked worriedly. Ruby's eyes focused on him again and she tightened her grip on his hand, as her eyes grew moist. Kamui's eyes widened slightly and he quickly pulled her up and hugged her tightly. Ruby clutched onto him desperately, her tears leaking from her eyes as she sobbed against him.

"I…I don't feel anything for the people I killed…why? I should be feeling guilty for what I did but I don't! It's terrible! It was so easy! I didn't even hesitate to kill them! I…I'm evil aren't I! I must be the worst person in existence!" Ruby cried as she clutched onto Kamui for dear life. It was such a horrible feeling! She looked deep in herself and she just couldn't…she just didn't feel guilt. Kamui was tense and she could feel it, she expected him to push her away but instead she felt his hand grab her chin and tilt her head up. Then her eyes widened when she saw him lean in and felt him press his lips against hers gently. Despite how affectionate they were, they didn't commonly kiss, usually they just stayed close to each other or held hands. Plus Kamui wasn't usually the one to go for it either. He always knew when to though as far as Ruby was concerned. Ruby melted into the gesture, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him against her, taking comfort in the kiss. He pulled away before she wanted him to and she let out a little whine but she didn't try to lean back in. Kamui smiled at her gently and wiped away the tears on her cheeks, making Ruby's heart flutter again.

"You're anything but evil, Ruby, you're one of the nicest people I've ever met. And the one who's claimed my heart as her own. I wouldn't take a chance on someone who's "evil". The fact that you're breaking up like this is proof of that…you're a bit like me in that regard. You understand…you understand that you're doing what you have to in order to survive and protect the things you love… Besides if you think you're evil for that, then I must be the devil," Kamui said and Ruby felt confusion take hold of her at his last statement. His words put her fears at rest sure but a new one had taken its place.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as she saw his normally bright eyes darken. She grabbed hold of his face and looked into his eyes and saw that same darkness she saw in her friends but…different.

"Talk to me Kamui, you might be an angel but you're not invulnerable…you helped me…now let me help you…" Ruby pleaded.

"I…the fighting…the feeling of running my sword through something, Grimm or a person…being in the heat of battle…causing destruction…it…it just makes me feel…"elated"…my nature as Rider of War is to cause strife and chaos…and I just feel so…good when I'm in the mix of it…I always have even though I felt guilty about it…it's always been a struggle for me to get past my nature…" Kamui said slowly, obviously wishing it wasn't true. Ruby's eyes widened at the news, how could he…enjoy those things?

"You enjoy…killing?" Ruby asked timidly and Kamui chuckled darkly.

"I don't enjoy killing, itself…I enjoy the chaos and conflict that is caused from the action of killing someone," Kamui sighed as he turned his eyes away from her guiltily. Ruby didn't believe any of that for a second though, she'd seen him fight to protect them so many times, fight to protect his friends. She'd seen him give up money for them, large amounts too. Heck he'd given up ten thousand lien for her and her sister when they first met him! She'd seen him play with his nieces and nephews, especially his niece, Elise, who was still a baby! There was no way that someone like him really enjoyed chaos!

"I don't believe it…" she said firmly and Kamui's eyes snapped back to hers in surprise.

"But Ruby I-" she placed her hand on his mouth and gave him a cheeky grin and shook her head.

"Nope!" she exclaimed. Kamui pulled her hand off his mouth but this time she pushed her lips against his mouth, effectively cutting off anything he might say. She pulled away after only a few seconds.

"Nope! I know you, Kamui. I've seen you fight for us and bend over backwards to help me and our other friends. When we just met you protected me from a Nevermore and you gave Jaune the courage to not give up on his training. Everyone sees it too, no one really whispers behind your back about you now, they all really think that you're good," Ruby stated. She actually was beginning to think that she would have to make him wear a sign that said he was taken. Everyone was starting to see him for the nice guy that he really was as long as you didn't do something he hated. It probably helped that one day he had to bring Elise and Leo with him to his classes since his sister and his other servants couldn't be bothered to watch over them or they had their hands full with the other three. She remembered it being one of the better days since Leo managed to distract Professor Port since he was actually interested in his stories. Meanwhile everyone else sort of cooed over baby Elise.

"Ruby…" Kamui said slowly, his eyes filling with…tears for the first time since she'd known him. She frowned and shook her head at that and leaned her forehead against his. No one had ever told him that apparently. Did he really grow up thinking that he was some sort of monster?

"Please don't cry Kamui…angels shouldn't cry…"


	17. Eye of the Storm

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone, Lord here with another update, just a little fun chapter on my part and I hope the rest of you like it as well. Just something to break the mood from the last few chapters and make things a little happy before we go into volume 3 territory. Shorter than I'd like but that was intended.

As for what will happen next I've decided to skip a lot of the fights that were in the show. I figure no one wants to just read something they could simply watch and I would prefer to focus on what makes this a bit different. I kind of want to show something with JNPR, like their double round since we didn't see theirs in the show. Anyway let me know what you guys think!

Also yay for Volume 4 tomorrow!

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Chapter 16: Eye of the Storm

 **Jaune's POV**

"Cheers!" Jaune and all his friends exclaimed as they raised their drinks, all were different depending on the person. Some of them were being rather mischievous and had gotten alcoholic drinks (Yang and Sun) but most of them had were being good, all things considered. Jaune only took a small sip of his soda before he looked around the place. Everyone seemed happier than he remembered and that was saying something.

They had rented out a rather nice buffet in Vale for the night. It was the only place they could all agree on since it had an abundance of food that they could all enjoy and it was fancy enough for the richer individuals. They did agree to celebrate their first successful mission after all. Though it had taken them longer than they thought it would to finally plan everything and actually have the party. Jaune was glad they got to have the party, especially after their mission.

It had been about a week since their return from Glenn and things were tense for the first few days and not just for them. The first two days were full of mourning and trying to get past the things they did on the mission. Jaune was lucky enough to be sort of healed on the first day, getting with Pyrrha definitely helped. It took some of the others the full two days. They were all worried that Yang was going to take her grief out on Kamui but after seeing that Ruby was brought back from the brink, she had dropped it all like it was never there to begin with. It was a good thing they all started sorting themselves out too because after the two days, the council of Vale made a rather jarring announcement, involving their group.

They pushed the blame on the White Fang, which was already bad in itself. Jaune had seen enough to know that it would just rouse more anger against the Faunus, especially the ones who weren't even involved. Unfortunately they were the only ones present to take the blame though. The council didn't stop there though, they had also pushed the blame on Beacon, specifically Headmaster Ozpin and Jaune heard a rumor that they were going to try and remove him from his position after the festival. After all they were a team from Beacon, Jaune felt like an idiot for not expecting that. Thankfully they didn't name them, except for one. Kamui was named as the one in charge of the mission and the one held accountable for failing to stop the invasion itself. That angered their entire group, Kamui especially. They had stopped the Grimm from getting out of the square, there were no civilian casualties at all! Jaune knew the council wasn't exactly friendly to the Legacy's but to go so far as to completely bypass the fact that he stopped the Breach from getting worse and only keeping the part that he failed to stop it in the first place was just…human.

Fortunately they didn't try to do anything too damaging to Kamui, probably in fear of what would happen if they committed any more slights. They had managed to avoid backlash though since the people who saw the fighting, came out and said that they had contained the breach before anything terrible could happen. Though while they dodged that, the council did press one thing on Kamui that was rather insulting. They forbade him from participating in the Vytal Tournament as well as any of his teammates, rendering his "team" moot. They couldn't allow a Legacy to win the tournament after all; it would throw public opinion away from them. It never occurred until to Jaune until then just how much the council wanted to keep power away from the Legacy's. Now he fully understood what his friend meant when he said he hated the councils. If he came out and told them what he was, they'd probably try to kill him.

Still though, Kamui didn't let it keep him down for too long, he said he would just enter in the next tournament and that it would be more fun for him that way anyway. Jaune knew he was seething inside though, he knew that he really really wanted to fight in the tournament. It didn't help that the tournament itself was only a few days away when they were told that he wasn't aloud to enter. That drove them all to throw the party since they all felt like they just needed to have a good time to break the mood. So there they all were.

"You alright, Jaune?" Jaune turned to his left to smile at his new girlfriend, Pyrrha. Despite all the crap that had happened, she made him feel giddy like nothing could keep him down.

"Of course, just trying to think up some ideas for the tournament," Jaune said as he settled in on his seat. The nine had taken one of the big tables that could hold all of them. They invited there other friends and Kamui's family that were around but the nine had decided to mingle together for reasons. Pyrrha was right next to him and Ren was on his other side with Nora of course. Ruby and Kamui were sitting across from him with the rest of Team RWBY littered around the table. They all broke into their usual conversations, just a time to have fun and forget their troubles.

"We can worry about the tournament later, right now I want to enjoy this," Pyrrha said and Jaune chuckled a little nervously. Since admitting his feelings for her, Pyrrha had grown a little…persistent with her desires for his attention. Apparently she'd been gunning for it for months and now that she had him she didn't have to be so subtle. Yang had a field day with them and speaking of which…

"Damn P-Champ, you've only been together for what, a week? You're already trying to monopolize him?" Yang teased, making Jaune flush but Pyrrha just huffed and clutched onto his arm like he was going to pull away. Though to be fair on reflex he was. Yang just laughed at them before Blake nudged her and started asking her something that Jaune didn't really care to hear. He just sighed and leaned back in his chair until he heard some soft padding behind him. He heard Pyrrha laugh and Jaune turned to see a little girl with red hair running around their table.

"There she goes…" Pyrrha giggled. Jaune chuckled a little nervously, that was one of his nieces. He ended up watching the kids once with his friend a few times and boy did those kids have energy. Even more energy than his little sisters did and that was saying something. It was a wonder how Kamui had energy for everything else he did with the way the kids all wanted to play. What's more, Ruby seemed to be able to keep up too and still be as hyper as ever. Weiss was able to calm them down generally, at least the older ones. Jaune well…he just did what he could to keep up.

 **Kamui's POV**

"Oniisan?" Kamui felt a small tugging on his cloak following the call. He saw Ruby smile and he chuckled as he turned in his seat towards the one who called him. Weiss had turned as well to see who had come up to them, even though they all knew. He looked down and saw one of his nieces holding her arms up to him, expecting to be lifted up.

"Hey Haruna!" Kamui gushed as he picked the girl up easily and placed her on his lap. Haruna was probably his favorite of the kids, though that wasn't saying too much. Out of the five she was the one who liked to latch onto him like glue whenever he was around them. His brother's were always away because of their jobs and they put the kids all in one place, near Kamui specifically because one of the four should always be around them.

Haruna was the middle child of her bunch, Xander being her older brother and Sakura being the younger sister. Her mother tended to worry about Sakura more and Xander generally didn't like being coddled like a kid even though that's what he was. Leo and Elise were both dotted over by their mother and Haruna was generally left to her own devices. The other servants tried to pitch in but most of them had duties of their own or had families of their own. So Kamui picked up the slack since he was one of the closer ones to their age and he was family. Poor Haruna bawled her eyes out when Kamui told them that he was going away to Beacon.

"Thank you Oniisan!" Haruna beamed. Kamui chuckled when he heard a round of awws from his friends, especially Weiss. Added onto cute dogs, apparently children could crack her icey exterior as well. Leo seemed to like her a lot whenever she volunteered to help him watch the kids, to the point that he probably had a little crush on her. It was adorable really, at least to everyone else, Leo was a bit embarrassed about it.

"Where's your siblings and your cousins?" Kamui asked as he adjusted her on his lap so she wasn't uncomfortable. Ruby and Weiss cooed the little girl, making her blush and try to use his cloak as a shield, only making them find it more adorable.

"Aww…yeah, where are the others? They're here aren't they?" Weiss asked as she looked around the buffet. Kamui looked up from his niece and saw the rest of his nieces and nephews were being entertained by Sun and Neptune, aside from Elise who was being looked after by his sister, thankfully.

"Why aren't you playing with them?" Ruby asked as she tried to get Haruna to show herself. Haruna thankfully poked her head out of Kamui's cloak and she looked rather sad.

"I don't really like what they're playing, they're playing too rough…" Haruna said. Kamui nodded in understanding, Haruna wasn't like the others, at least not in the adventure sense. The girl was gentle, a soft soul is what Ryoma had called her. Despite being a Nephilim herself, Haruna didn't feel a…drive to grow strong like the rest of her siblings and her cousins did. Takumi thought that it was because she was coddled too much though Kamui knew that Ryoma understood what was really happening. She wanted an actual childhood and none of the four could say they had been given a "true" childhood themselves.

"Hm…oh I know!" Ruby exclaimed as she let out a small whistle. Then from…out of nowhere Zwei showed up. The little corgi ran up to them as happy and energetic as always. Ruby and Yang's dad was supposed to take the dog back but it just didn't happen yet. Not that Kamui minded, the dog was nice and was quite smart too. Plus…

"Zwei!" Haruna gushed as she jumped off of his lap, making Kamui huff in an amused way as he watched his niece run up to pet the corgi. The dog barked happily and ran around her before running off somewhere, Haruna in toe.

"Nice to know I've been replaced by a dog…" Kamui muttered half heartedly, making his friends laugh.

"Don't worry Kamui, you're still in my top five," Ruby said and he flinched at that and glared at her for a bit, making her giggle and grab his arm, which calmed him down.

"Yes because the fact that I am half angel and literally something out of a story book and your boyfriend is not as important as a dog…" Kamui thought, regarding Ruby. Kamui smiled a little mischievously though, in that case he would revoke Ruby's privilege to ride on Nyx whenever she wanted. At least for a week.

"You're taking your inability to enter the tournament well," Weiss commented and Kamui shrugged it off though he knew all of them were probably thinking the same thing if their not so subtle glances were anything to go off of. In truth he was annoyed majorly but recent events had brought more pressing matters to his attention.

"It will just give me a little bit of an advantage next time. Besides while you're all broadcasting your abilities I'll be developing more of mine in private," Kamui shrugged. In truth he wanted to use the time to investigate some things, particularly some things on a certain Rose family and maybe something else that his mother had slipped to him. Of course he would be watching the matches for appearances sake and the fact that he wouldn't miss their matches for the world either. He was serious about learning from the tournament for the next one.

"That's cheating!" Ruby complained and Kamui laughed at her pouting face. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips for a quick second, making her sputter and her cheeks flare.

"Get a room! Wait…actually don't!" Yang shouted in embarrassment from what she said at first. Everyone shared a laugh at that and Kamui was happy to avoid further questions. He didn't want to tell them everything that he would be doing in his free time aside from watching their matches and training. Then he felt a presence behind him and he turned to see Kaze standing behind him, his head bowed.

"Lord Kamui," Kamui rolled his eyes at the title. The man still didn't get that since he was married to his sister, he no longer needed to call him that. He stopped saying it though since his words seemed to do nothing.

"Yes, Kaze?" Kamui asked. He was a little surprised that he was able to pull himself away from his sister; generally they were inseparable in parties like this, which was essentially Camilla grabbing his arm and refusing to let go. Then again, Kaze did hold his duty as a retainer very seriously. Kamui had a feeling he knew what it was anyway.

"Selina and Beruka have arrived and they're requesting your presence," Kaze said and Kamui nodded.

"Of course, I'll be right back everyone," Kamui said as he turned back to his friends. They all seemed a bit put off by what he was doing but they didn't object. He gave a small look to Ruby, who knew exactly what he was doing and gave her a small smile as he stood up and followed Kaze. Ruby was the only one in their group who knew what he had planned, though he only told her the day before so that she wouldn't be tempted to spill the beans. He followed after Kaze silently, they wanted to get out of Blake's earshot just in case she tried to tune into them over the chatter of her table. They waited until they went through one of the backdoors to one of the backrooms before they spoke. Kaze knew how to spot a tail or know if someone was listening in so Kamui waited for him to speak.

"The package was finished just in time, Milord. The Blacksmiths were not particularly thrilled to be rushed but they managed it," Kaze told him as they walked through the backroom. It was just a storage room where the restaurant kept the extra utensils and whatever they needed, it was right next to the freezer and the kitchen. Kamui wanted the package brought in discreetly; he didn't want anyone seeing it.

"That's good, are their any other things I should know?" Kamui asked as they moved down the room. Kaze was about to respond but a rather loud "Hmph!" interrupted him and Kamui chuckled nervously as he looked to the garage door to the room to see the ones who were saddled with delivery duty. There was a human sized crate in between two women.

The shorter woman was named Beruka and she was a bit perplexing all things considered. She was dressed up in pitch-black armor designed for riding and free movement. She had light blue hair trimmed to her shoulders and kept out of her face by a headband along with fair skin and dull brown eyes. She had an axe by her side that she held in a bored manner. She wore a monotone expression bordering on straight up boredom. She nodded towards Kamui and Kaze when they approached though.

The taller one of them was dressed up as a mercenary, at least that's what Kamui's family called the garb she wore. It was tailored scarlet red and black, designed to tough out weather or combat to moderate extents. A very versatile garb, fit for any setting. She had a sword at her hip along with a shield attached to one of her arms. She had red hair, a shade darker than Pyrrha's, set in two ponytails. She had grey/blue eyes and a bit pale but not in an unhealthy way like Kamui or Weiss. She was pretty even though she was scowling at Kamui in a halfhearted way. That was Selina.

"You know it's not nice to rush a girl, Lord Kamui," Selina huffed as she crossed her arms at him. Kamui sighed and scratched the back of his head. Selina and Beruka were his sister's retainers and they were almost as bad as his sister when it came to him. They were silent watchers that apparently shadowed him when he was younger. It made him question how good they were at their job if Raven always got by them though. Then when he finally met them they chided him for not knowing them…even though he never even saw them until that time…In truth Beruka wasn't that bad, it was Selina that needed to be treated carefully.

"Sorry, but I really needed it before the tournament and I knew you wouldn't let me down," Kamui praised. Selina flushed at his praise and turned her head up at him like she didn't care. She just wanted to be told she did a good job, Kamui didn't mind but it would have been nice if she just let him say it before she took jabs at him.

"The blacksmiths were a little annoyed that they had to stop their work on your other order and finish the new project within a week and we had to rush to get it here on time mind you…" Selina said as she pushed her two index fingers together nervously.

"I understand, I won't be needing the other work just yet anyway. Considering that I am not going to be in the tournament," Kamui sighed as he walked over to the crate.

"Ah yes, the fools did that in return for saving their kingdom. Quite and interesting bunch, those politicians," Beruka said passively though Kamui knew that she was actually being rather dark.

"No worrying about it now, so it's ready. There isn't something I need to do to it?" Kamui asked as he tapped the crate.

"Of course, they were very adamant about it. Though they told us that the other project will not be finished for a few more days now. They were almost done too after about a month of constant work, so you'll excuse their annoyance," Selina said matter of fact. Kamui sighed in relief and annoyance at the news.

"Right well that's fine like I said. By the way, I have a few more things for them to do. Beruka I need you to make a small run back to give the blacksmiths this," Kamui said as he pulled a small folder from his pack and held it out to Beruka. The assassin rider took the package silently though she chuckled softly.

"They won't be happy about this," Beruka said and Kamui laughed softly before he shook his head.

"Tell them not to worry, it's far simpler than what's in the crate or my other request. Besides you said they were almost done with it. I even made the design and instructions already. Tell them to send these along with the other project all together in one package. And...I want them to send it to Taiyang Xiao Long's residence for...safekeeping. I also want full enchantments on the package so that I'm the only one who can break them," Kamui instructed. Beruka nodded and she gave him a small hug that was rather sudden and curt before she opened up one of the doors and left. Kamui sighed and turned to Selina who seemed to be waiting on him for something. He sighed and nodded towards the other door.

"Go on and go in and see my sister and the others. You too Kaze and send Jaune in here please and make sure it's only him," Kamui instructed. Selina seemed satisfied with the order and practically ran off while Kaze gave a short bow before he left as well. Kamui sighed as he took a knife from his belt and started cutting the ropes from the crate and the tape around where he would open it. By the time he was ready to prop it open he heard the door open and he turned to see his blonde best friend walk in.

"Kamui? What's going on? Your ninja guy just sort of came up and told me to come in here and he wouldn't let the others in…Pyrrha wasn't exactly happy," Jaune said nervously as he walked over. Kamui laughed as he sheathed his knife and turned to face his friend.

"Relax, I know Pyrrha and I know she'll probably appreciate this even more than you will," Kamui said as he patted the crate. Jaune finally took notice of the thing at that point and he tilted his head in question.

"What is that?" Jaune asked as he came closer. Kamui chuckled slightly and opened up the crate and he smiled when he saw Jaune's eyes widen in shock and awe.

"I think it's time you became a real knight, Jaune. Now hurry up before the others get anxious and barge in here!" Kamui urged.

 **Ruby's POV**

"P-Money, just calm down, you won't die if you're away from your boytoy for a few minutes," Yang urged as she Pyrrha paced around in front of the door that Jaune had walked through barely five minutes ago. Ruby found it rather funny, she was right, Pyrrha and Jaune's relationship had taken the place of her own as front page. At least in terms of her sister and their friends. It helped that Pyrrha seemed to drop all reasons for being subtle too now that the blonde knight clued in.

"I know but I want to know what's going on," Pyrrha said as she continued to pace. It was cute and a little nerve wracking, because well it was cute but it was Pyrrha, who was a championship fighter. Ruby didn't really want to be stuck fighting her, which made her wonder how good Kaze was since he just stood there uncaring.

"He is not in any danger I assure you. Lord Kamui is with him, surely you trust our Lord?" Kaze asked and Pyrrha paused then she flushed and started playing with her ponytail a little embarrassed.

"Well of course but uh…" Pyrrha muttered as she bounced on her feet a little. Ruby giggled at the sight along with the rest of their friends, it was nice to not be the target of the dating jokes for once.

"We know you want to pull him behind a curtain and rock his world, P-Champ, but give him some space before you suffocate him," Yang joked with a laugh. Pyrrha flushed as red as her hair and then before Ruby could say anything, she jabbed her sister in the side, making her yelp. Weiss and Blake let out a small laugh at that but then Yang's eyes flashed red and Ruby paled a little. Ren and Nora took a few steps back and Ruby was about to step in but before she could, Kaze stepped aside from the door and it opened.

"Hey guys, we got a surprise for you!" Kamui came out with a rather proud smile on his face. His eyes found hers and Ruby giggled and got her scroll out and slyly turned the camera on their friends and hit record.

"Where's Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she worked her way in front of their group. Thankfully it was just them that were crowded there, everyone else was busy partying still or thought that they should leave them alone.

"I was getting to that, wow it's nice to know I matter so little now," Kamui sighed as he stepped to the side. Whatever Pyrrha was going to say was cut off as their blonde knight walked through the door.

"Uh…hey guys how do I look?" Jaune asked, nervously. Kamui had a hand covering his mouth as he tried not to smile. Ruby didn't care and just kept recording her friend's faces. Their blonde friend was dressed from neck to toe in armor, not the simple plates he only wore over his clothes like before, actual armor that a knight would wear. It was white like his old armor was but it was clean and unblemished, freshly made. Ruby knew exactly what was happening since Kamui asked her to help him design it. They went for a style somewhere between heavy and medium armor due to his movements. He was built to take punishment but he was quick on his feet when he wanted to be so that was how they built it. They even stamped the crescent sign on his shield onto his chest plate.

"Uh…guys…" Jaune asked nervously. Ruby laughed at the rather dumbstruck looks on their friend's faces. Even Blake and Ren looked rather surprised, which was saying something. Her sister looked like she was seeing an illusion while Nora seemed to be off in her own world again, probably thinking about how she could really live out her queen of the castle life now that there was an actual knight that looked like a knight. Weiss had her mouth agape like she was seeing something that shouldn't be there. Meanwhile Pyrrha's expression was the best, her face was even darker than her hair and she seemed to be not all there. Ruby wondered if she looked like that when she saw Kamui on initiation day or when they went to the dance.

"You look…perfect…" Pyrrha said softly. That seemed to snap everyone out of it and they all had various looks of either excitement or embarrassment.

"Wow, Lady Killer you actually look hot. Pyrrha looks ready to mount you right here," Yang joked crudely. Weiss and Blake hit her in the sides, making her yelp but she grumbled and stayed quiet. Pyrrha went over to Jaune, who seemed to blush a little more as she approached and when she got in front of him, she leaned up and kissed him, just like that. Kamui chose that moment to slink away towards Ruby, who stopped recording finally and took her boyfriend's arm. When Pyrrha broke the kiss, Jaune looked like he was about the faint, then all of a sudden Nora jumped them both.

"Now we can really be a medieval kingdom! I can finally be the Queen of the Castle for real!" Nora proclaimed happily much to the amusement of everyone. She had dragged Ren into the group hug or pile as well as she continued talking about what they should do. The rest of Ruby's team went in to try and make some sense out of the pile though Ruby had a feeling they didn't really care.

"They seem happy don't they?" Kamui asked. Ruby looked up towards his face and was about to reply but she paused when she saw the troubled look on his visage as he watched their team enjoy themselves. It was only there for a few moments though since he put on a smile for her. He was obviously troubled, Ruby had known him long enough to know that. She knew that she couldn't just ask him there, he wouldn't appreciate it. He may have told the others about who he is but that was more because his hand was forced.

"Something wrong Ruby?" Kamui asked when she didn't reply. Ruby decided that she would bring him somewhere where he could talk to her and not worry about the others chipping in. She was going to do it anyway but now she had more of a reason to do it. She wouldn't force him, she trusted him to tell her what was on his mind when he wanted to.

"Hey, Kamui can you uh…would you mind coming with me somewhere tomorrow? Before the tournament?"


	18. Vytal

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

Hey everyone! So I saw Volume 4 on release and I loved it! I was a little annoyed at one part but that was more of a nitpick and that was that we didn't get to see Jaune fight yet. If you haven't guessed it, Jaune is my favorite character in the cast, he reminds me of a friend I have, aside from the cheating part. Anyway so I have been given more of a drive to write now and I'm finally at the part in the story I wanted to be at.

On a side note I am trying to make a cover page but I'm doing it by hand since I can't use the art programs on computers to save my life. Anyway onto the story!

Chapter 17: Vytal

* * *

 **Ruby's POV**

Ruby sighed as she walked through the woods of Patch, her hood covering her head. She was trudging along a little slow and without her usual spring or energy. The light of the rising sun was blocked out of her vision by her hood and her hair so she could stare ahead. The rustling next to her, kept her from losing herself in her thoughts. She turned to her left to see Kamui walking alongside her and while he wasn't staring at her she knew he was concerned with why she was acting the way she was.

"Thanks for coming with me Kamui…" Ruby said softly as she took his hand in her own. He squeezed her hand back but they didn't let go of one another and just walked hand in hand through the forest. Even though it was morning, the rising sun made it look like they were walking through twilight. Ruby was thankful that she asked Kamui to come with her. Yang and her dad always made her feel uncomfortable when she went with them where they were going. Her family was great but they coddled her and she didn't want to be coddled. Comforted, yes but not coddled, something Kamui was doing for her expertly, he always did. She believed it was because he understood how she felt, because he often felt exactly the same.

"I usually ask Yang or my dad to come with me and sometimes I just come by myself…but I think she would want to meet you," Ruby said softly as she held his hand with both of hers now. Kamui tilted his head at her but he didn't respond, his flame-colored eyes locked on her for a few moments before he returned his gaze forward. He understood that she didn't want him to speak, just listen. They continued walking through the woods in silence, almost like in one of the storybooks that Ruby read when she was little.

"There are no Grimm out here…the Huntsmen must have cleared them out recently. They have to clean out the forest regularly since Patch is right next to it and unlike the main kingdom, we don't have walls to keep them out," Ruby spoke to her boyfriend. He nodded to her, asking her to continue.

"There are only a few Huntsmen in Patch though at a time since the Grimm here are very weak. Plus Signal is in Patch too so it's perfect for training students, I came out here a few times though I only got to take down a few each time. My dad and my uncle are two of the huntsmen stationed here. The Huntsmen clear the forest in shifts, one of them clears the forest out one day and the next another one clears it. My uncle actually took me out on one of his clearings while he was training me. That was when I killed my first Grimm with Crescent Rose. My dad was pretty angry at my uncle for that but at the end of the day he let it slide since my uncle is really really strong, plus I pouted at him to not be mad at him," Ruby laughed at the memory of her steaming father melting under her gaze, multiple times actually. Kamui let out a small laugh, the first sounds she heard from him the whole day. It felt odd having her boyfriend next to her but not speaking to her, though she did desire it at the moment. She just needed to talk and someone to just listen.

"My Mom used to help them clear out the Grimm too…I always wanted to go with her but I was too young to even start training…" Ruby said softly, her heart feeling heavy as the image of her mother passed through her mind. She was thankful that she still had such a clear image of her mother. She knew of a few of her friends in signal who lost family members that could barely remember what they looked like, she was so thankful that she wasn't one of them. Perhaps it was because she looked so much like her and the pictures from Kamui definitely helped.

She squeezed Kamui's hand harder and he squeezed her back just as much but he still remained silent. Ruby didn't speak again until they finally came to their destination right outside the forest. It was a cliff overlooking the water in between Patch and the main land of Vale. Right now though, the Amity Coliseum was flying above Vale, Ruby was going to be competing in the Vytal Tournament up there but first she had some things to do. There was a moderately sized slab put in the ground, just in front of them. It was a grave, with a Rose engraved in it. There was a plague near the bottom that had the words "Summer Rose, Thus Kindly I scatter" engraved in it.

"Hey Mom…" Ruby said softly as she let go of Kamui's hand and motioned for him to wait. She walked towards the grave and knelt down in front of it. She knew that Kamui's eyes were staring at the back of her head but she knew he wouldn't do anything unless she either said it was ok or she broke down. She sighed and pulled her hood back and combed her dark red hair out of her face. She smiled though as she reached out and placed her hand on the stone.

"I know that I haven't been here in a little while…but its because I got accepted into Beacon! Two years ahead of schedule too! I'm in the middle of my second semester already and I even get to fight in the Vytal Tournament. I'm going to be fighting today actually, after I leave." Ruby spoke as she retracted her hand back. She fidgeted a little before she got on to some more personal things.

"I got picked to be the leader of my team, we're called Team RWBY. My partner, Weiss is a bit cold, especially at the start but she's really sweet if you can melt her walls. Yang was put on the team with me too; she's still the same, horrible puns and all. Her partner, Blake was a little quiet when our team was first formed and she's really serious but she's almost like another sister to me, a responsible one. We're one of the best teams in Beacon, only one group can challenge us in our year," Ruby laughed at her last comment, even though her eyes became a little teary.

"The team that can challenge us is our sister team, they're named Team JNPR. We have a sister team because we had a special circumstance but I'll tell you about that in a little bit.

Their leader is Jaune Arc, I think you trained with one of his sisters. He's just as much a dork as me I think. He's one of my best friends though and like an older brother to me. His partner is Pyrrha Nikos, she's a tournament champion, four times in a row but she's really cool and actually kind of shy, she likes Manga almost as much as her partner I think. Then the other two on that team are Ren and Nora, they're basically complete opposites, one is so passive while the other is the embodiment of hyper," Ruby explained and then she blushed.

"I uh…I met a boy at Beacon too that I really like…like really really really like…that's him behind me, if you're wondering…uh…" Ruby flushed bad, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire. Thankfully, Kamui got the queue and stepped forward until he was next to her. He didn't sit though, he stood.

"Hello, Summer Rose. My name is Kamui Legacy, you…you knew my brothers, Ryoma and Takumi. As Ruby said or tried to, we're dating. Your daughter is an amazing person and she's claimed my heart quite effectively. I would never dream of hurting her…she has even accepted what I truly am," Kamui spoke and his words just made Ruby blush harder. Before they could do anything else though, Ruby felt her scroll vibrate. She pulled it out and opened it to see that she got a message from Weiss saying that their match was in another hour.

"Sorry mom, we got to go, my match is in an hour and I need to be there since I'm the leader, I promise we'll talk again soon!" Ruby said as she scrambled onto her feet. Kamui chuckled at her attitude and let out a whistle to summon Nyx. Ruby grabbed his hand though, making him look to her and then she leaned up and kissed him softly, making him tense before he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. It only lasted a few seconds since the roar of Nyx hit there ears.

"Thanks for listening, Kamui…" Ruby said softly. Kamui smiled at her and nodded towards the tournament and his incoming dragon.

"Of course…now come on, you have a match to win," he said and Ruby smiled and nodded happily as they took a running jump off of the cliff onto Nyx before the dragon flew them towards Amiti fast, hopefully the security wouldn't freak out.

 **Jaune's POV**

"Go Team RWBY! One win for us!" Ruby shouted, normally that would have been normal but it was funny considering that she and her team hadn't even exited the area yet and they could still hear her. Jaune shared a look with Kamui as they waited for the doors to the arena to open so they could congradulate their friends. The arena was actually underground in the stadium and the floor would rise up to the stands so they had to rush from the stands down to the locker room. It wasn't the most efficient way especially since JNPR was up next but they wanted to see their friends fight.

"Ruby don't shout!" Weiss chided as the doors opened. Team ABRN exited the ring first, looking a bit roughed up but otherwise fine except for their egos maybe. The four gave polite nods to them though as they passed them into the locker room. Shortly following them was their friends, the victorious Team RWBY. Yang was glowing brighter than usual, which was saying something. Weiss was as proper as ever though she did have a noticeable satisfied air about her, Jaune almost felt his heart plummet but thankfully Pyrrha's hand in his own kept that from happening. Blake was passive as ever, no surprise there though she did look a little bit happier. Ruby was the one who was really happy and not afraid to openly show it with no restraint, she was literally hopping behind her team as they came in. Except before Jaune could even say anything, Ruby literally disappeared in her usual flurry of roses, Jaune blinked and realized that she had sped over to Kamui.

"Kamui! Did you see me?! Did you see me?!" Ruby gushed as she grabbed Kamui's hands and hopped around, excitedly. Jaune had to cover his mouth so he wouldn't laugh at the cute scene. Yang and Nora had no such issues though and they laughed openly.

"Of course I did, Ruby, did you really think I would miss it?" Kamui laughed as he freed his hands from the little reaper so he could hug the girl and lift her up to give her a twirl. Jaune saw Ruby's cheeks flush but she still laughed as her boyfriend twirled her around. It was really too cute sometimes for him.

"You never picked me up before?" Pyrrha muttered and Jaune flinched and chuckled nervously as he looked at his girlfriend and partner who was staring at him expectantly.

"Well we didn't have our match yet?" Jaune offered, Pyrrha tilted her head at him with a look that meant she expected something after their match then. Jaune would have thought she would want to keep up appearances but apparently not.

"Jee, Pyrrha, give the guy some breathing room," Yang joked as she wormed her way in between them and wrapped her arms around both their shoulders. Pyrrha seemed a little annoyed by the move but Jaune was a little relived since he felt like Pyrrha was going to literally jump and expect him to catch her.

"You guys are up next aren't you?" Weiss asked as she stepped over to them. Jaune wormed his way out of Yang's hold as he adjusted his new armor even though he adjusted it before he put it on that day. He had little to no time to get used to even moving in the thing since he literally got it the day before. Unfortunately he didn't even have time to train in it and he didn't have anything to use in place of it either since his old stuff was destroyed at Glenn.

"Yeah, we had to rush down here from the stands, we wanted to see you guys in action and meet you after your match," Jaune said and Weiss nodded in acknowledgement.

"I expect you to win your match then," Weiss said respectfully. Jaune didn't exactly know how to respond to her since he was still a little awkward around her. She hadn't said a lot of words to him ever since that time on that train… Before Jaune could reply, he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. He turned to see it was Kamui.

"You better get in there before they disqualify you, your opponents walked by us while you were talking," Kamui urged and Jaune felt a himself pale a little before he laughed nervously at his obliviousness. Then he felt someone grab his arm, he knew it was Pyrrha before he even looked.

"He's right, come on!" Pyrrha said quickly as she pulled him along with her. Then he felt someone take his other arm and pull him forward as well, Nora.

"Yeah! We can't get disqualified before we break some legs!" Nora shouted joyfully. Jaune chuckled nervously as he looked to his left to see Ren just following after them as usual though he looked amused now.

"Good luck guys! We'll be cheering you on!" he heard Ruby shout after them as they entered the arena. It was around the same size as the classroom Miss Goodwitch had them fight in but Jaune knew that the real arena was much bigger. Their opponents were already in the room, Team BRNZ if Jaune remembered right. Weiss made a bunch of dossiers on all the teams entering the tournament as part of her recon (spying). Jaune actually did read all of them sort of; it was more like the heiress forced him.

"Everyone remember the plans and the names?" Jaune asked as he adjusted his gauntlets more out of nerves than the need to adjust them.

"Of course," Pyrrha answered.

"You got it!" Nora saluted followed by a simple nod from Ren. After the problems they had with the Paladin that knight in Vale, Jaune made sure that his team actually remembered the things he planned and designed. Their opponents seemed a bit confident as they sized them up and Jaune was really wishing that he decided to bring his helmet with him instead of leaving it so that way he could hide his expression.

Jaune calmed himself like Pyrrha taught him as he looked at their opponents. Most of the team seemed more suited for close combat than range. Only one of them actually had a ranged weapon and that was the only thing she had. The other three were equipped with melee weapons. The one with dark red hair had some kind of shock baton, the one with the brown dredlocks had what Jaune thought were two sawblades attached to gauntlets on his wrists. While the final member with the black/grey hair had claws over his knuckles like gauntlets. Jaune already felt ideas popping into his head as he looked at them and tried to think up what their opponents would try against them.

"Here we go…" Jaune heard Pyrrha say next to him and then he felt the floor shift under them. The ceiling above them opened up and then the floor they were on carried them up. Jaune heard the roars of the crowd even before they reached the top. He took a breath to keep himself calm as he looked around the stands of the roaring crowds. He looked around for his friends and then after a few moments he saw them. Team RWBY and Kamui were all sitting in the front row, reserved for students and combatants. Ruby and Yang were waving towards him excitedly while the others all gave him small nods.

"Now we have Team JNPR of Beacon vs Team BRNZ of Shade!" Professor Port announced over the arena. Surprisingly he didn't go off on his tangents while he worked as the announcer. Jaune drew his sword and shield and his team did the same with their weapons.

"Nora, go after the redhead with the Baton. Pyrrha, you and I will try to take the other two down. Ren, try to distract the girl with the sniper or pitch in with the others, you pick," Jaune said as quietly as possible so their opponents wouldn't hear them but loud enough for his team to hear him. They all gave him their acknowledgments of the plan just as the stages were picked. Jaune's team got a mountainous terrain while their opponents got the forest. He didn't even bother looking at the counter; he just waited to move.

"Start!" Jaune moved immediately after he heard their professor announce the start. He kept his shield up and his sword raised behind it. Pyrrha and Nora ran ahead of him as usual and he saw Ren run veer off from them towards the forest. BRNZ mobilized as well though. As Jaune thought, their sniper backed off and ran into the forest, but Jaune trusted Ren to go after her. Meanwhile the other three ran towards them.

"Don't let them break away from us, we keep them here and beat them!" Jaune ordered. Nora rushed her ordered target and cut him before he could veer off of them.

Jaune broke his gaze though when the guy with the saw blades threw the things at him. Jaune kept running towards the guy though, refusing to stop. He took a breath and just like in practice he pulled his shield back and shrugged it hard against the first saw blade, knocking it away from him while he brought his sword up and slashed the other one aside as well and due to the fact that he was still running, he was upon his attacker already. He could see the guy's eyes widen in surprise. Before he could move, Jaune bashed into him with his shield.

"Ugh!" Jaune felt a bit satisfied that the strike connected but it didn't send his opponent onto his butt unfortunately. His opponent grabbed the edges of his shield and tried to push him back but Jaune ground his feet into the ground and pushed back. This guy was strong but he Jaune had dealt with Nora and Yang before, his opponent's strength was nothing compared to those two. He saw his eyes widen as Jaune pushed him back through sheer brawn. He heard the whirring behind him though and he saw his opponent smirk a bit.

"Jaune behind you!" he heard Pyrrha shout. Jaune reacted on instinct and instinct alone and he clocked his opponent in the face with the butt of his sword, disorienting him. Then he used his shield to lift the man up and tossed him backwards as he turned. Like he thought, the sawblades were coming at his back. His opponent flipped midair though and caught both of his discs in his hands and landed on his feet. Jaune narrowed his eyes and lifted his sword and shield up into his usual position that he worked out. Jaune couldn't help but feel elated that his training was showing now. He spared a glance towards his friends and saw that they were all cheering for him now but it was the prideful looks on Ruby and Kamui's faces that really made him feel proud. His gaze snapped back to his opponent when he heard him make a move.

His opponent charged him like he had earlier and Jaune took a breath and charged him as well. They already had their power struggle, Jaune could beat him, and if the guy were smart he wouldn't try the same thing. The guy threw both of his blades at him again and Jaune deflected them both with his shield and swung his sword at the guy but he literally jumped off over him and delivered a kick to his back. Jaune grunted but aura and his armor dented the blow so it was almost like a small pat.

Jaune turned fast and swiped with his sword again but the guy leaned out of his slice easily and then Jaune realized that he wasn't holding his saw blades. He heard the sound of the things coming for him. He held his shield out to the side and stopped one of them but the other one hit his side, that blow he felt. Then his opponent nailed him in the face with a kick, making him stagger back a few feet. Jaune went through the pain though and slashed at him with his sword, forcing the man to use his blades to block his sword. He caught him in between both his saw blades.

However Jaune pulled his sword back before he could knock his sword away and used his shield to block the incoming attacks before he pushed through, creating an opening in the man's gut, which he slashed with his sword. The cut connected, and Jaune could feel the man's aura take a sharp dive from the strike. His opponent grunted and dropped his blades but his eyes hardened and he grabbed his arm and used it to flip over and try to smash his foot down on Jaune but he held his shield up and stopped the strike. Then he focused his aura into his arm and threw his opponent off and he managed to nick his back with a slash from his sword as he did, forcing his opponent to land roughly on the ground. Jaune took a small breath as he took his stance again towards the enemy, who was both panting hard and still on the ground.

"If that was Blake or Ren, they would have landed that kick and thrown me face down into the floor and even if I did pull that maneuver off on them, they would have just landed on their feet and been on me already," Jaune noted to himself as he adjusted himself. He felt his foot step on something and he looked down to see that he was standing on one of his opponent's saw blades. He kicked it towards him though since he wanted to face him fairly. His opponent seemed surprised by the move but he still picked up his weapon and rose to face him.

"Ok he's not just charging in this time…" Jaune thought and then he spared a glance to see how his friends were doing when he saw his opponent do the same. He smiled though when he saw Pyrrha and Nora were winning against their opponents rather easily. Plus Jaune hadn't heard any shots from the sniper so he could only assume that Ren was doing well in the forest. Jaune returned his gaze back to his opponent and his eyes widened when he saw one of the saw blades coming right at him. He brought his shield up and blocked it but when he lowered it, his opponent was already in front of him.

Jaune thought he was going to try and jump over him again but he was proven wrong when he felt the guy grab his shield instead. Jaune was caught off guard and unfortunately he wasn't gripping his shield as much as he should have and the guy delivered a kick to his gut and wrenched the shield from his grasp. Jaune's eyes widened when he saw his own shield come at his face next but he brought his sword up and used it to stop the strike from connecting and then he pushed back enough so he had room to attack. He shoulder tackled the shield, making his opponent stagger and then he struck out with his sword and clipped the shield, forcing it upwards and then Jaune kicked his opponent in the gut, sending him flying backwards.

"If that was Ruby she would have pulled my shield away and struck me with it before I could blink much less react. And if that was Pyrrha she would have easily bashed me in the face with the shield, hell she would have thrown it at me if I actually managed to send her flying," Jaune thought confidently as he leveled his sword in both his hands now. His opponent seemed fed up now if the angry expression was anything to go off of. He threw his shield away, far enough away that he wouldn't be able to get to it. Then he locked both his blades in his gauntlets and charged him.

"If I was Kamui or Weiss they would have picked him apart with their swords in less than ten seconds but I guess I'll have to settle for what I can do…" Jaune thought as his opponent came at him. He didn't throw his blades at him this time, he was going at him like he had claws.

Jaune stuck his sword out in a small jab, forcing his opponent to veer off and he tried to slash at Jaune's side but Jaune managed to back away and use his sword to deflect the other saw and then, using a move he remembered Weiss doing, he brought his sword back quickly and stabbed his opponent in the chest, the barrier felt weak but he didn't hear a buzzer so he continued on. He pulled back and gripped his sword with both hands and caught both of his opponents saw blades on his blade. He focused his aura into his arms like his friends taught him and in a quick motion, he forced the saws to the side and down before he brought his sword up and slashed his opponent's chest again, a move Kamui had used against him in their first match. The moment he did it, his opponent fell onto his back and a buzzer rang, signaling an out. Jaune looked up to the screen to see that his opponent was in the red while he himself was still hanging in the green by hair. He felt pride swell in him and this time when he looked to his friends, they were all cheering for him with more joy than he ever thought would be directed at him, even Blake and Weiss in their own way.

"I did it…" Jaune thought before he felt someone push him down and then the sound of a bullet dinging off metal rang through his ears. He looked up from the ground to see his partner/girlfriend standing there with her shield raised up and she was holding his own shield out to him.

"Jaune, focus!" Pyrrha shouted and Jaune returned to his calm mind as much as he could. He stood up quickly and took his shield back and focused on the situation. Pyrrha had defeated her opponent, who was laying face down on the ground. Jaune felt embarrassed that he didn't notice. He saw Nora's opponent get bashed into a rock but he didn't hear the buzzer go off. Then he heard the crack of a sniper go off and Nora ducked followed by a bullet hitting the ground in front of her.

"Nora, over here!" Jaune called and the hammer wielder quickly ran towards them. Jaune noticed her opponent rush into the forest and Jaune grit his teeth a bit as he and Pyrrha moved in front of Nora, their shields raised and just in time since Jaune felt a bullet bounce off his shield.

"Where's Ren!?" Jaune shouted. Then on queue there was a small shout of pain followed by the guy who Nora was fighting getting launched out of the forest into the middle arena. Ren hopped out and sprinted towards the guy but before he reached him, a shot hit his feet and the ninja was forced to stop. The guy with the shock baton got up and tried to hit him but Ren stopped them with his gunblades and delivered two kicks to the man's gut before he head butted him, making the guy stagger back. Then he sheathed his weapons in his sleeves again and delivered one of his aura palms to the guy. Jaune winced when he saw his friend's purple/pink aura extent out the guy's back. Jaune didn't need to hear the buzzer to know the guy was out before he fell onto the ground in a heap. Then another shot rang out and Ren had to duck under it before he ran over towards them and jumped behind there wall.

"I know where the sniper is but she had me pinned the whole time until now. When she pulled away to start shooting at you, I tried to get closer but the other guy came in and I was forced to retreat," Ren said simply as he ducked behind their wall.

"Where?" Pyrrha asked and Ren loaded a different magazine into one of his guns and in one quick move he leaned out and fired a few shots that left a little stream of color behind them. Jaune followed the little tracers to where they were going but he had to bring his shield up quickly when he saw the glint of a sniper scope and the next moment he felt another round bounce off his shield.

"Pyrrha, covering fire. Ren, Nora, it's time to try out the new move!" Jaune ordered. His team mobilized right away on his command. He moved over to Pyrrha, who knelt down with her shield still out and turned Milo into its rifle form. Jaune placed his shield on top of hers so that he was fully covered and that Pyrrha had a good amount of cover. Jaune grunted as a bullet struck his shield again, it was annoying him that the sniper kept shooting at him instead of Pyrrha. He turned back to look at Ren and Nora as Pyrrha started firing at the sniper. Nora gave him the thumbs up and Jaune nodded.

"Do it!" Jaune shouted. Nora shifted her hammer into its grenade launcher form and fired a flurry of grenades vaguely in the direction Ren pointed out. Then she shifted her weapon back into it's hammer form and brought her hammer back. Ren hopped on top of the hammer and his hands started glowing with his aura.

The grenades Nora fired exploded with a large explosion. For a moment the shape of a pink flower was formed before a shower of little explosives rained down on the forest. Jaune almost fell over since it shook the ground they were on. Even the crowd went silent, Jaune didn't even hear his friends cheering. Most of the forest was taken out save for one tree, which happened to have their sneaky sniper in it. She was staring at them in horror and Jaune almost felt bad about what was going to happen, almost.

"Hit them guys," Jaune said and Nora let out a maniacal laugh that would have made Jaune shiver if he wasn't used to it.

"Break her legs Ren!" Nora shouted as she activated the thruster on her hammer and swung with all her strength, sending Ren flying. Ren's aura flared visibly even more as he closed in on the sniper, so fast that only Ruby could outdo it. Ren's aura took the shape of roughly a flower in front of him as he closed in. The poor girl could do little but stare defeat in the eye as the blow connected with her. There was no loud crack or explosion like Nora's show though. There was a loud gasp from the sniper, as she was struck followed by Ren's aura flaring behind her as her took her off the tree. Ren flipped around in the air and carried the now unconscious girl down gently before he made his way back over to them.

"We did it!" Nora shouted as she raised her hammer up in the air. That seemed to knock the crowd out of their stupor since the buzzer signaling an out ran finally, followed by the roars of a pleased crowd. Jaune sighed in relief as he put his sword away and put it back on his belt.

"The Winners are Team JNPR of Beacon!" Port shouted over the intercom.

He spared a look towards his friends and they were causing quite the scene in the crowd. Well in truth it was really just Yang, she was crashing her gauntlets together and if he was closer he would probably hear what she was saying. He thought he heard her say something similar to "Go Lover Boy! Or more explosions!" Jaune couldn't really tell. Blake had a full smile on her face and was clapping for them, which was a lot from her. Weiss was actually beaming at him as she clapped in her own polite way. Ruby was holding up a flag that had JNPR written on it and she was swishing it around quite energetically. Where she got that flag, Jaune had no idea. Kamui wasn't clapping but he was smiling at him and he gave him a nod when he saw him before he held his hand up and gave him thumbs up. Jaune felt pure ecstasy run through him, he finally felt like he had accomplished something after months of grueling training. In fact…

He grabbed Pyrrha by her arm and she turned to him in surprise by his sudden move and pulled her into a hug. She returned it right away but he heard her sigh in annoyance and he laughed since it sounded cute. While he was hugging her though he saw Nora jump on Ren's back and shout that the Queen was victorious and this time Ren just smiled and went along with it. Jaune blushed as he pulled back from Pyrrha a bit so he could look her in the eye.

"Hey Pyrrha, remember what you said before we started the match?" he asked as his blush intensified. Pyrrha's eyes widened and she flushed.

"Well it's ok, Jaune…I was just uh…you don't have to do it here…" Pyrrha said, nervously. Jaune knew he couldn't back down now though, so he moved fast before his nerves worked against him. Pyrrha let out a cute meep as he quickly picked her up, bridal style and spun around with her in his arms. It felt amazing to do it even though he was probably embarrassing them on TV! His arms didn't even struggle to hold her as they spun. It didn't take long until Pyrrha started laughing thankfully. Then when he finally stopped her stared into her green eyes lovingly. Pyrrha was still blushing but she seemed happy.

"And this is for being there for me since the beginning…" Jaune said as he leaned in and kissed her right there. She flinched at the contact but she quickly returned it and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jaune couldn't have been happier at that moment, victory and he gets to kiss the girl. Maybe his dream would come true after all…then he remembered that they were in the middle of an arena and he just kissed his famous girlfriend in front of a large crowd…and possible all of Remnant…

 **Kamui's POV**

"I can't believe that dolt!" Weiss shouted in outrage and Kamui sighed as he followed behind the heiress with Ruby, hand in hand. Yang and Blake were trying to calm the heiress down but the fire was stronger than usual.

"He was just celebrating, Weiss-Cream!" Yang shouted as she stopped the heiress from drawing her sword. Blake kept Weiss steered away from the dropship and the arena while Yang restrained the girl and forced her forward. Meanwhile Ruby and Kamui followed behind them. Close enough to jump in, if Weiss got lose and made a run for it but far enough that they could pretend they weren't associated with them…even though everyone watching the tournament probably knew that Ruby was teamed up with the other three. Oh well they could just pretend they were a couple that just happened to be following a certain group of loud girls, well two loud ones anyway.

The moment Jaune picked Pyrrha up and twirled her around caused the crowd to cheer louder but when he kissed her everyone went silent. Kamui chose that moment to slink out and he pulled Ruby along with him while the rest of her team had the same idea, or two of them anyway. They had to drag Weiss out. By the time they got on the Bullhead back to the ground, they heard the crowds start up again. They were walking through the area of Vale reserved for the main attractions of the festival and also one of the areas where the Bullheads to the coliseum were located. Kamui was thankful that they got out of there. He would love to help out two of his best friends…but he didn't feel like dealing with that kind of problem.

"He kissed her in front of the entire population of Remnant!" Weiss shouted. Kamui detected a bit of betrayal in her voice and he shared a look with Ruby to see that the little reaper was piecing together the same thing.

"Why do you care? Pyrrha is his girlfriend if you recall?" Blake finally spoke up, causing Weiss to tense and she didn't even reply. Kamui was about to intervene before Ruby did it for him.

"Hey guys! Let's eat there!" Ruby sped up to them and shouted as she pointed to a random food stand. Kamui shook his head as he caught up to them so he could get a better look at the shop. It was a noodle shop of some sort; Yang had dragged Kamui and Ruby to enough of those for him to recognize them. Strangely the same guy who ran the Dust Till Dawn shop in Vale ran them all.

"Cool! My favorite! Let's go guys!" Yang exclaimed as she wrapped her arm around Weiss and started dragging her over. Ruby grabbed Kamui's hand again and started pulling along as well. Before they got too far though, Kamui stopped and in an instant he grabbed an arm behind Ruby. The owner of said arm flinched and let out a surprised sound. Kamui sighed and let go of the owners arm before he chuckled a little.

"That's not a nice prank, Emerald," Kamui said as he turned to face the mint haired girl. The mint haired girl looked shocked for a few moments before she laughed it off as she scratched her head. Kamui noted that only Cinder was with her, while Mercury was off at a different booth, their fourth member was nowhere to be seen though. Kamui didn't know why but for some reason he felt like something was wrong with Cinder, Emerald and Mercury.

They had been quick to befriend Team RWBY and JNPR and himself. They had only known them for around a month now. They didn't follow them around but when they crossed paths they tried to talk with them or even hang out. Ruby and Jaune were quick to converse, being the naturally friendly people of the group and that meant that the rest of them got dragged into it one way or another.

Many people wanted to get cozy to them since they were the best in their year but that team seemed to do it better than most. Hell even Sun's team was only close to them because Neptune put the "moves" on Weiss, though Kamui seemed to recall them not being on so good terms anymore. At least Sun seemed to be making progress with Blake though if Kamui remembered the dance right. He wasn't so paranoid that he would shun them, looks weren't everything after all plus the others seemed to like them. Emerald pulled pranks of thievery all the time from what Kamui heard. Hell he'd even spared against Emerald and Mercury multiple times and enjoyed it immensely. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he should keep his hand on his sword around them, especially Cinder and it irked him a little that he hadn't actually seen their fourth.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Emerald laughed and Kamui sighed as he shook his head. Ruby laughed along with it though he could tell that she was a little weirded out by what she tried to do.

"Hey Em, Cindy, you already won your match?" Yang chimed in as she strolled over. She sounded cheerful as usual when she greeted friends but Kamui noticed that her hands were tense.

"Yeah, we had our match early this morning, so you guys probably didn't see it," Emerald said while Cinder just nodded. Blake and Weiss came to their little circle of conversation; thankfully Weiss was off whatever anger she was on a few moments ago fully.

"You must have been the first match then, since we came very early, well some of us," Weiss glared at Ruby and Kamui. Ruby stuck her tongue out while Kamui just shrugged, uncaringly. Then Kamui noticed that Cinder's arm was marred by a rather nasty looking injury. The injury was a large cut right above her elbow, probably from a claw, with the jagged way the wound looked. Claws weren't known for cutting clean after all. It looked about a few days to a week old if Kamui was any judge. It was probably worse when it actually happened; the wonders of aura made even the brutal wounds less than they really were. Those wounds still needed to be treated of course but aura made recovery much easier, especially for someone who didn't just have aura unlocked but was also trained in it.

"What happened to your arm, Cinder?" Kamui asked innocently. Cinder seemed surprised that she was actually addressed. Usually Emerald spoke for them, all the times Kamui spoke with them over the month that he knew them, it was always Emerald that spoke to him or even Mercury. Cinder just didn't speak to him, or any of them really except for a few small words here and there. Her teammates told her that she was just antisocial and very work focused. Kamui believed it since Ren and Blake were like that sometimes.

"Oh that looks pretty bad, did you get it during the Breach? I saw Mercury and Emerald in the fight, not you though," Ruby asked innocently. Cinder covered her bandaged arm, a short frown marring her face for a moment before she gave a polite smile and nod to Ruby.

"I was fighting in the square with the rest of you but I took this injury while I was protecting the civilians trying to escape. A Ursa Major got a lucky shot in while my back was turned and I had to retreat. The doctors were surprised my arm still worked but then again, they didn't understand aura apparently. It should be fully healed soon enough, it stings a little but it's nothing compared to when it actually happened," Cinder said professionally. Ruby nodded at that and then Yang stepped up, an easy going smile on her face.

"So, who are you guys sending to the doubles round? Maybe, we'll face each other?" Yang asked, challengingly. One thing Kamui liked about Yang was that she really did think things through a lot sometimes; she just gave off the impression that she only thought with her fists. Well…if someone did something to her hair she tended to think that way. Besides that, Yang tended to be able to tell when something was up.

"Oh, Mercury and myself are entering. Cinder still has to recover from her injury and Mint is a little busy with personal business," Emerald cut in and Cinder took that queue to give a slight bow.

"I apologize, I should get back to Beacon, the doctors want to check my arm again just in case," Cinder said as she quickly slinked away.

"So anyway, fair is fair, who are you guys sending in?" Emerald asked.

"Well Ice Queen and I are going in of course. A little Fire and Ice will be hard for anyone to beat," Yang said rather proudly. The doubles round wasn't for a few more day and Kamui was going to use that time to start his little personal project, hopefully the others would be too busy to follow him or inquire what he was doing. Emerald nodded in acceptance before backed of a few steps and nervously scratched the back of her head.

"I see, well I should probably go after Cinder and make sure she's ok. Anyway if we meet up, we won't hold back!" Emerald gave them a friendly challenge before she ran off.

"We won't either!" Yang shouted back before she sighed.

"What's wrong, Kamui?" Ruby asked. Kamui blinked and realized that he was holding her hand rather tightly and that his other hand was on his sword. He shook his head and let go of her.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about the…breach," Kamui said evasively, inwardly he winced at his less than subtle way of saying that something was wrong, hopefully it would work. Ruby tilted her head at him but thankfully she bought it and grabbed his hand again.

"Well let's get your mind off of those depressing thoughts, let's eat!" Ruby exclaimed as she dragged him over to the stand. Kamui chuckled at her attitude but he relented to her of course as she practically forced him to sit at the stand. The others joined them of course, whatever tension they had was momentarily forgotten thankfully.

"So where's the menu?" Weiss asked as she looked around. Kamui asked the same thing the first time, Yang brought him to one of these places. The main thing the guy severed was noodles of course but there were other things, not as many as a fancy restaurant might have but a nice selection nonetheless. Yang told Kamui and Ruby that you had to figure out the menu for yourself. Ruby being the naïve girl she was, asked the man and much to the shock of Yang he actually told her what he served and how to order it. He claimed that he told them because he thought Ruby and Kamui were a cute couple. Ever since that day, Yang had been trying to milk the supposed "cuteness" of their relationship. Yeah…that didn't get embarrassing at all… Anyway after Kamui finished his musing, the door opened and surprise surprise, the same man from the other noodle shops showed up. He was a friendly old man though so Kamui didn't care really.

"I'll have the large!" Yang proclaimed and in less than five seconds an absurdly large bowl full of steamed noodles was placed in front of her. Weiss stared in shock for a few moments before she ordered.

"Uh…do you have anything with low salt?" she asked. Right as she finished, a more medium sized bowl was thrown down in front of her. Kamui and Ruby laughed at the bemused expression Weiss was holding. Ruby was up next.

"I'll have the same as my sister!" Ruby proclaimed and an absurdly sized bowl of steamed noodles was thrown down in front of her and she gave off a small cheer. Kamui laughed at her cute excitement before he gave his order.

"I'll have the Ramen," Kamui said politely and like the others, in less than a few seconds, a big bowl was thrown down in front of him. However, his didn't just have noodles, his had egg, pork and some veggies too. Kamui loved the food, not as much as his favorite but it was still good. One of the things he could actually remember from his…

"Give me the works and a lot of it," Blake said suddenly and Kamui looked at her in confusion until a large bowl full of…fish was put down in front of her. Blake's eyes might as well of turned into stares with the way she stared at the fish, it was too much. Kamui had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing but Ruby and Yang had no such problems and laughed without a care in the world.

"Are you paying, Weiss or me?" Kamui asked as he looked towards the heiress. Weiss waved him off and pulled out her Schnee card. The old man took the card and went over to the cash register, moving at actual old man speed as Ruby had called it. Kamui thought that people who had to handle dust would be allowed to have their auras but apparently not.

"Take it as a thank you for letting me into the doubles round and I still owe you, Kamui for taking that ten grand at the beginning of the year," Weiss said gratefully. Kamui waved her off at the comment while the others all gave her thanks. That is…until her debit card was literally thrown right into the table, in front of the heiress. Kamui looked back to the register and it read denied.

"What?! I barely touched the card for the last two months though!" Weiss cried out in outrage and indignation. The man crossed his arms at them and nodded towards the cash register again. Blake gasped and grabbed her fish bowl like it was about to disappear and the others all did similar things to there food.

"I got it, don't worry, guys," Kamui intervened quickly as he pulled out his own card. After that little ten grand splurge in the beginning of the year and after quite the scolding…Kamui had sneakily transferred a few hundred lien at a time so he wouldn't alert his brothers, to a private account that he had Kaze make for him. It was handier than he thought it would be and he didn't need his brother's permission. He didn't know why he did it, he just felt like it for some reason like he needed to. In truth he got the idea from Camilla, who had done the same thing. The man took his card and swiped it through the register and everyone let out a sigh of relief when the register read accepted.

"Enjoy yourselves!" the kind old man said as he handed Kamui back his card. Then he sped back behind the doors, a bunch of chopsticks and forks were placed beside their bowls as he did this too. Everyone started digging in right away except for two.

"So what happened to your card?" Kamui asked as he pocketed his own card and snapped his two chopsticks apart so he could use them. He ignored the way Blake dug into her food like Yang did whenever they took her to a steak house. Weiss was staring at her card in confusion before she turned it over in her hand as if she would find something wrong with it.

"Perhaps your father cut you off then? It's the only idea that comes to mind," Kamui said after he swallowed a bite of his food.

"Yeah, like that time Yang spent a thousand lien in damages. Dad still hasn't given her back card priviliges," Ruby added as she paused in her eating. Yang didn't stop eating though and swatted the back of her sister's head, making her cry out and grumble something along the lines of "you're just jealous…".

"But I only used it twice in the last two months! The first was to pay for my dress for the ball and that was less than most of the dresses I buy. The second time was the party we had yesterday and Kamui split the bill with me so it was hardly anything compared to the amount I've been saving!" Weiss exclaimed as she gripped the card in her hand like she was about to break it. Kamui didn't respond and kept eating his food like the others.

"Well eat first, you can worry about your daddy issues later," Yang commented as she nudged the heiress. Weiss sighed and put her card away before she picked up a fork and started eating her food, despairingly. Kamui and Ruby paused their eating and shared a look before they looked back at the heiress.

"Hey Weiss, this is probably just a misunderstanding," Ruby reasoned after she swallowed the mouthful she had. Weiss gave off a small scoff like she didn't believe it.

"Uh…Kamui you tell her, you understand what's going on right?" Ruby asked as she turned back to him. Kamui gave her a deadpan look and rolled his eyes.

"I'm half angel, not a god, Ruby. I don't know the inner thoughts of buissness Ceo's either," Kamui said the angel part quietly though for obvious reasons. Ruby blushed and gave her usual nervous laugh before she turned back to Weiss.

"Well, I mean maybe your dad just wants to talk with you?" Ruby asked. Weiss actually paused at that and let out a small sigh.

"Perhaps…" Weiss said before she sighed again and placed her fork back on the table and turned around to look up into the sky. Kamui frowned and decided that he would maybe offer to let her use his card though he decided against that since that might set her off. He couldn't exactly say he understood what it was like to have an actual dad either.

"Well perh-!" Weiss' sudden gasp interrupted what was probably going to be a bad-encouraging line. Weiss stood up from her seat and moved out of the stall and Kamui and Ruby stood up to follow her out while Yang and Blake continued their meal.

"She's here…" Weiss said in an almost dreamy way. Kamui saw a white ship flying overhead. He mistook it for just another Atlas ship for a moment before he realized that it was a bit more unique. It was a ship with a more slender and pointed frame with two wing like limbs sticking out from the top and bottom of the ship, with two white/blue steams of fabric hanging from them.

"Whose ship is that?" Ruby asked as she cupped her hands over her eyes to get a better look.

"My sister! I have to go see her!" Weiss exclaimed as she grabbed one of Ruby's hands and one of Kamui's hands and dragged them off towards Beacon before Ruby or Kamui could offer to get them there faster.


	19. Too Good to be True

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

 **Hey everyone! So I have to comment first, damn those feels from Vol. 4 Episode 2. I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it yet but it was harsh. Now what you guys should do is make an account on Roosterteeth that way you guys don't have to wait a week for it to be put up on Youtube. The people who have paid membership get it on Saturday while the people with free membership get it the day after and everyone else gets it the next Saturday.  
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 **I actually plan to make a sequel and I am already in the process of trying to design a plot but I am still deciding if I want to just make it off of Volume 4 and just stop and wait or go off on my own tangent. Well I am going to go off on my tangent of course, it's the whole reason we're all making stories here to begin with. I mean should I wait for more seasons and lore or just continue with what I have and use what comes if I see fit. It's a bit of dangerous territory though since part of the reason I planned everything up to the end of Volume 3 relatively fast is because I just used the plot and twisted it around. It is very tempting to just go off on my own way with no training wheels so to say, which I probably will. Resurgence by Kraven Ergeist is a nice example of that. I don't want to make the story too long, especially if RWBY is actually going to make ten to fourteen seasons like Red vs Blue. Well the for sure thing is after I finish this story I'm going to go through it and fix it up. I also want to make some cover art for this, but I'm not the best artist so we'll see when that happens. Well for now I guess I'll just go with the course I have for now. Anyway enjoy the chapter and please follow/favorite and comment!**

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Chapter 18: Too Good to be True

 **Ruby's POV**

"So why did you drag us up here again?" Ruby asked as she and Kamui followed her partner down the walkway of Beacon. The weird Atlas ship that they saw had landed very close to the walkway if not right in the middle of it. Everyone was crowding around to see who was inside. It was a little uncomfortable with so many people around. Even with the exchange students, it didn't get this bad. Unfortunately Beacon was the only other site where there were Bullheads to take people to Amity. It was technically for the students so that they could come back to the school but there was no rule saying that the civilians couldn't use them. Ruby knew it was Weiss's sister in that ship but she didn't think that Weiss would actually drag her up there to meet her. If anything she thought she would have told her to avoid her.

"You're both my partners technically and you're also both my leaders. You need to meet my sister so she thinks that I'm doing well. I would prefer to bring that dolt too. Except he is probably still fighting off paparazzi trying to get off of Amity. Oum knows what will happen when they find out that he is associated with us. So you're going to have to make up for that and then some," Weiss chided. Ruby understood it all now and she sighed softly.

"I know Kamui will be fine but you could muck it all up with your antics. You could embarrass all of us if you're not careful. Which means…no doing this!" Weiss suddenly turned around and grabbed Ruby and Kamui's intertwined hands and forced them apart.

"Hey!" Ruby cried out in outrage and Kamui just glared at her. Ruby was just holding her boyfriend's hand, what was wrong with that?!

"You have to be professional when you meet my sister. Which means no displays of affection at least until after introductions are over," Weiss chided and Ruby pouted at her but Weiss didn't falter at all and turned to Kamui.

"Kamui, please. I'm relying on you to be the mature one," Weiss begged.

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Fine…" Kamui sighed as he consented and moved past Weiss but he flicked the heiress's head as he passed her, making her yelp. Ruby giggled a little and followed after him after repeating the gesture, making her partner yelp in anger this time. Ruby snickered at the way her partner grumbled as she followed them. The three came to a stop in front of the ship and as if waiting for them, the ship's hatch opened up. A ramp came down from the ship and a couple Atlas Knights marched out, perfectly in sync. Ruby felt a little uncomfortable around them mostly due to the fact that during the Mountain Glenn incident, she saw a lot of them loaded into that train they had to stop. Plus they had to fight their way through a lot of stolen Paladins too, so she wasn't exactly happy to see the Atlas tech. She thought they were cool when they were introduced…until they were used against her and her friends.

"Look sharp!" Weiss chided and Ruby jumped slightly from her partner's sudden presence next to her. Before Ruby could retort, she heard the familiar sound of heels clicking against the floor, but her partner was standing right next to her. Ruby saw a young woman walking down the ramp.

"She definitely is her sister," Ruby thought as she saw the older Schnee. She had the same pale skin, ice blue eyes and white/silver hair, albeit her hair was done up in a bun as opposed to Weiss's ponytail. Her face was as Ruby's uncle would say, ice cold yet beautiful. Even more so than Weiss when Ruby first met her. She was dressed up in a white and blue uniform mixed in with a sort of coat that had slits from the shoulder to her elbow. There was a simple yet ornate looking saber sword sheathed at her side.

"Winter!" Weiss gushed as she moved forward towards her sister. Ruby fought back the urge to scream in annoyance since Weiss broke the rule; she imposed on her and Kamui. She shared a look with her boyfriend but he just looked amused more than anything.

"Weiss, I knew you would be here," Winter said in a rather bored tone.

"Of course I would! I recognized your ship right away. Why didn't you tell me you were coming? How long are you staying?" Weiss asked quickly. Ruby couldn't help but smile a bit at her partner's attitude; she knew that she looked up to her sister quite a lot. Though she'd never seen her act it out exactly.

"Classified," Winter said dismissively.

"Of course," Weiss said quickly and Ruby shared another look with Kamui who shrugged. Winter sighed a bit as she raised her hand to wipe her hair out of her face before she finally adopted a small smile towards Weiss.

"Aside from your less than stellar performance in your match, I must ask how have you been?" Winter asked. Ruby felt a small jab at the first part considering that she thought that they did fine, after all, they won.

"We won our match, Winter…" Weiss said a little hurt.

"Hm…perhaps but you are a Schnee and your showing was less than expected of your blood," Winter said harshly and Weiss wilted a bit. Then Winter let out a small sigh as she adopted her smile again.

"Now then, as I said before. How have you been?" she asked kindly. Weiss brightened up right away and straightened up.

"Oh I am doing excellently. I am ranked first in our school's academics and number one in our year for spars!" Weiss said excitedly. Ruby gaped a bit at that statement, the first part of her claim might have been true but the second part wasn't! Ruby was ranked higher than her in spars and Pyrrha and Kamui held the number one rank! She could literally feel the heat radiating from Kamui, who was no doubt displeased with those remarks. He took pride in his skill after all, even more than Ruby did probably. Before Ruby could speak up, Winter quickly slammed her hand down onto Weiss's head, making her yelp.

"No you boob! I asked how you are doing…have you been eating well, have you made friends?" Winter asked harshly at first but it turned gentle as she went on. Ruby couldn't help the giggle that slipped from her and she Kamui give off one of his chuckles too. Weiss grumbled a bit as she rubbed her head before she straightened up.

"Well…may I introduce, my partners and leaders, Ruby and Kamui," Weiss said as she motioned towards them finally. Winter's expression turned ice cold again as her gaze turned to them. Ruby felt nervous as Winter stared a her and looked her over with narrow eyes before she did the same to Kamui though she had a more judging light in her eyes for him.

"I see…so these are the ones you wrote to me about. Hm… I thought you mentioned that you had another leader due to your special circumstance?" Winter asked.

"Yes, well he's a bit indisposed right now, he just finished his match and he's having trouble getting out of the stadium," Weiss said rather quickly and Ruby wondered if Winter already knew what was happening since she obviously saw their match.

"Oh well…Greetings, Ruby Rose and Kamui Legacy, my sister has spoken about you two a lot. I thank you for keeping her out of trouble," Winter said politely, followed by a complaint from said little sister.

"Of course, Weiss is great to have, especially with tests," Ruby chimed in brightly. Winter seemed a little amused at that and Weiss gave Ruby a look that could be described as "not pleased".

"Of course, Weiss is a good teammate and friend to have," Kamui spoke with barely concealed amusement. It's a good thing he spoke since Ruby probably would have broke out into laughter at the expression on Weiss's face. Winter nodded towards Kamui though as she stepped in front of her sister.

"Your brother, Takumi has said many things about you, Kamui, he assures me that you are a combatant without equal in your age group," Winter addressed.

"And I stand by my words!" a loud voice boomed from the ship. Ruby saw Kamui flinch suddenly at the voice. When Ruby looked back, she saw a man exit the ship. He looked rather young though when Ruby got a good look at him, only about as old as she would expect someone to be when they graduated from Beacon. He was a tall man, standing easily above six feet and then some. He had long light brown hair done in an ornate looking ponytail. His expression was a bit soft but Ruby had seen enough people by now to notice a certain…confidence that he carried. His auburn colored eyes seemed alight with a certain calculating gaze that Ruby would expect from someone three times her age. He wore black hakama type pants and a thick blue shirt with a fur vest over it and a white sash around his waist. He wore a chest plate and greaves and his left arm was armored as well while his right arm was not. She caught sight of an ornate golden bow on his back but she didn't see a string on it. This man made Ruby feel nervous though, like Camilla and even Kamui sometimes.

"Takumi…" Ruby heard Kamui whisper. Takmui seemed a little put off by Kamui's stare and he adopted a small scowl as he walked over and stood in front of him.

"It hasn't been that long since you've seen me, little brother. Flora said you would be pleased to see me again," Takumi said in an annoyed tone. Then in an instant Kamui suddenly shrugged forward and hugged him, causing Takumi to jump in surprise but he laughed and hugged him back.

"It's good to see you too, little Rider," Takumi said as he pushed Kamui back.

"No one told me you were visiting! After Camilla came I thought that was it!" Kamui exclaimed and Takumi chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Well I am a Legacy, so technically I can go where I want. Winter just happened to be coming here so I decided to hitch a ride. Flora couldn't come with me though since she decided to head off to Mistral to see Felica and Jackob," Takumi said. Kamui frowned at that news but his smile returned.

"So how long are you staying? You need to see Leo and Elise, they'll be ecstatic!" Kamui pressed and Takumi chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"I don't remember being that energetic when I was at Beacon. Don't worry, I'll be around for the festival and I'll see my son and my daughter after I meet with Ozpin, he called me here actually," Takumi said and then Winter cleared her throat and the man sighed before he patted his hands onto Kamui's shoulders.

"Well, we'll talk about that later. Now then, I believe you agreed to show my coworker who's little sibling is the best, right?" Takumi said confidently. Kamui smiled brightly and nodded before he turned to Winter.

"I would be happy to give a demonstration, Miss Schnee…" Kamui said cheerfully and Ruby had to cover her mouth with both hands to not laugh at the almost horrified look on Weiss's face. Winter had the smallest trace of a smile on her face as she nodded.

"I have arrived early so I have some time to spare. Weiss, would you please show me to the sparring area, I want to see you perform against a single opponent. I would like to inspect your quarters afterwards as well. Ruby Rose, please accompany us, I would like to speak to you on the way as well," Winter addressed as she began walking down the walkway to Beacon, Takumi followed close behind, giving Ruby a side glance that made her want to run for the hills. Seriously? She thought only Camilla was like that! Ruby and Kamui stepped aside as Weiss ran after them and Ruby giggled at the glare Weiss gave both of them as she passed them. Kamui held his hand out to Ruby when they passed them and Ruby took it happily as they walked after the two Schnee's. Weiss strode up to her sister's side and began conversing with her while they lagged behind just enough to let them talk in peace as a few Knights flanked them.

"I've never seen Weiss get so excited except for maybe that time when Neptune decided to talk to her at the dance," Ruby said and Kamui laughed softly.

"It's only natural, I feel the same way about my older brother's as Weiss does about Winter…I hope Takumi actually decides to go see his kids though…" Kamui spoke and Ruby was about to reply when she heard the sound of ripping metal and sparking wires. She and Kamui turned to see what was going on and Ruby had to hold herself back from squealing in joy.

"Hey Kiddos…I had a feeling I'd see you two here somehow," a rather gruff and slurred voice spoke. The owner of said voice was a man dressed up with a pair of black slacks and a grey dress shirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows. He had a tattered red cape attacked to his shirt and he had a large looking transformable sword attached to the back of his belt. He had short-slicked back jet-black hair. He had red eyes and needed to learn how to shave a little better.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed. She hadn't seen her uncle in months, he had gone off on some mission and that was before she even started her time at Beacon! Before she could speed off to hug him though, she felt Kamui tighten his grip on her hand and then he moved her to the side. Ruby was wondering what was going on until she saw Winter storm past them.

"You! What are you doing here?" Winter demanded, anger clear as day. Qrow's eyes narrowed at the Schnee and Ruby held her breath as Qrow pushed back his hair like he usually did when he got ready to fight.

"I live here unlike you. I've only been gone for a few months and I come back to see a Fleet of Atlas's little ships sitting right on top of my home. What the hell is Ironwood thinking? Does he think that an invasion fleet is the appropriate response to a Breach?" Qrow asked icily as his hand left his pocket.

"Mind your insolent tongue, Qrow…" Winter chided and Ruby looked back at Weiss to see that she had wisely stayed back as well. Takumi watched with interest, apparently content to just let whatever was about to occur to happen. Qrow let out a dry chuckle as he cracked his neck a few times.

"Or what? You going to send your big bad fleet to my doorstep? You Atlas specialists and your machines think you're so special…no offencse to you, Takumi…" Qrow drawled as he gave a small wave to the older Rider, who just gave a small wave back. Winter growled slightly as she drew her sword from her side and pointed it at the older reaper.

"If you don't mind your tongue, I will gladly mind it for you! In fact how about I cut it out that way you'll never say something idiotic again!" she promised, her blade gleaming. Qrow chuckled and pulled his other hand from his pocket and placed them behind his back. Ruby felt excited despite the fact that her Uncle was probably going to get in trouble, she rarely got to see him fight seriously since the Grimm around Patch were easy and she knew that whatever she could muster wasn't close to make him try just yet.

"Well come then and attempt to take it," Qrow taunted with a smirk. Winter sprung at him almost faster than Ruby could see. She practically just appeared in front of him and tried to slash him but he just moved to the side, laxly. Then when she tried to go for a horizontal slash he just ducked without moving another muscle her next attack hit his sword. Then he activated his weapon, his sword extending to its full length. Winter stepped back when he suddenly drew his sword in a massive flurry of slashes that even Ruby's speed trained eyes couldn't keep up with all of them. Yet Winter managed to not just see them but also block or parry all of them and start throwing out attacks of her own. They moved in blurs, similar to when she saw Kamui or Weiss train to deflect things from all around them. Yet even then she believed that they were attacking and reacting faster than even Kamui or Pyrrha when they were serious.

"Quite the sight isn't it? Two Hunters fighting it out, seeming like gods?" Kamui asked as he watched, Ruby looked to him to see his eyes trained fully on the fight, could he really see the entire fight? Ruby could make out what was happening but it was hard to keep up.

"It's easier to see when you feel for it more than think about it. Feel with your aura more than focus on your eyes. Remember our aura is more than just a shield or a healing aura, it is another sense or it can boost our own natural senses, if you let it anyway. Your speed semblance has developed your eyes naturally but even then that has limits, if you let your aura flow into your senses you'll really find something worthwhile. You've done it before, in sparring and combat, you just need to learn to do it without the amp of being involved in combat. Look, Weiss is doing it and the crowd is having various degrees of success," Kamui spoke calmly. Ruby looked towards her partner to see that indeed, her eyes were flowing around the fight naturally like it was a normal match. The civillans in the crowd that formed around the duel were probably even more lost than Ruby, while the students all seemed to be managing as well to various degrees. Ruby took his words to heart and looked back at the fight, trying to let her aura flow into her senses. She felt it work almost right away and her eyes widened when she realized that she could follow Qrow and Winter's movements a lot better now.

"Incredible…" Ruby thought as she saw the intricate movements of the two hunters as they attacked each other. She winced when she saw Winter clock her uncle over the head but then she let out a cheer when Qrow returned the favor but kicking her in the gut, sending her back a few feet. There was a pause in the fighting after that as the two glared at each other. Ruby knew that Qrow was playing though since he looked more annoyed than serious. Winter activated her semblance and a giant glyph appeared under her, similar to something Weiss liked to do. Qrow grumbled something to himself and he raised his sword up in a challenging gesture again. Winter let out a cry as she sprung forward but before she could meet Qrow there was a sudden blur that sped past the reaper and Ruby's eyes widened as a sudden clang of steel on steel rang through the air but Qrow hadn't moved a muscle, in fact he seemed annoyed more than anything but amused.

"What…" Kamui gasped beside her. When Ruby finally saw what happened her eyes widened as she recognized the one who had interfered in the epic duel of hunters.

"As I recall, Amity is the place for fighting…not the front pathway of Beacon…" a strict yet amused voice spoke. The owner of the voice was easily recognizable to Ruby. She didn't have to see Kamui's picture book to recognize him, she'd seen enough things on him because of the news. He was a young man, looking slightly older than Takumi. He had long black hair in an almost unkept manner that cascaded down his back. He had grey/blue eyes that seemed to be filled with power like lightning. He had a clean face despite his long spiky hair. He had a red head piece that framed his face, keeping his hair out of it. He was dressed up in full red samurai armor along with a white haori, over it. Ruby could make out a symbol stamped on his haori. It was a gold circle with a four point shuriken inside it, sticking out of the circle like a star almost. He was holding an ornate looking katana except it was obviously meant for more than simply sitting on a wall. Lightning literally arched off of the beautiful gold and blue blade, which he was holding with one hand to stop Winter's strike.

"Show off…" Qrow sighed as he put his weapon away while Winter pulled back after realizing that she wasn't clashing with Qrow.

"Ryoma…" Winter grit out. The Rider of Death let out a small laugh as he sheathed his katana simply.

"It's good to see you too, Winter," Ryoma chuckled, while Winter just grumbled but before she could speak up, another voice added itself to the equation.

"Winter! It's so good to see you again!" the cheerful voice of Camilla chimed in as said, Rider of Famine strode forth, from what Ruby assumed was the same direction Ryoma entered. Winter seemed to appreciate the call though since she actually smiled at the purple haired girl.

"Camilla, it is a pleasure to see you again," Winter spoke kindly as she placed her saber away. Camilla engulfed the smaller woman in a hug, lifting her off the ground a bit before she set her down. Surprisingly, Winter didn't seem too bothered by it and Ruby spared a glance towards Weiss to see her looking a bit steamed.

"Why didn't you inform me you were coming to Vale! I would have met you so we could catch up!" Camilla gushed and Winter actually let out a small laugh.

"I'm here too, you know," Takumi threw in as he walked towards the group, nonchalant. Camilla looked at him and gave him a small flick to his forehead. Takumi didn't react besides fume at his sister and Ruby would have laughed if she didn't know that they were three of the Riders of the Apocalypse. She had to admit that they weren't what she was expecting. At that point, Ruby realized that Kamui was holding her hand a bit tighter than she was comfortable with and she saw her boyfriend, smiling at the scene almost like he couldn't believe it.

"There is three, where is the fourth?" Ryoma asked as he looked around and his eyes settled on them after a few moments and a smile adorned his face.

"Ah there he is, our Rider of War," Ryoma said as he motioned for him to come to them. Kamui flinched and didn't move so Ruby decided to help him out. She started tugging him towards them and Ryoma gave off an amused laugh as she dragged him over to them.

"R…Ryoma? You're actually here?" Kamui asked hesitantly. Ryoma answered by pulling him into a hug, easily engulfing the Rider of War with his larger stature.

"Of course, Little Brother. I have to say that I did not expect this to occur though, all four of us together again. It's been some time since this has happened," Ryoma said as he pulled the boy back from the hug to look him over.

"What's happening out here?!" Ruby flinched as she turned to see Ironwood, Ozpin and Goodwitch walking towards them, the crowd parting for them as they did. Then, behind Ironwood, Ruby saw Penny tagging behind him. The android girl gave her a bright smile but she didn't say anything, probably because the general was so close.

"That's what I was wondering myself, James," Qrow said as he walked forward only to be stopped when Ryoma placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Just a simple altercation, General," Ryoma said and Ironwood seemed to get annoyed by the simple presense of the Rider.

"Now now, everyone, there are actual sanctioned fights at the Colisum, with actual seats…and popcorn," Ozpin interrupted as he stepped in front of the general.

"Disperse!" Goodwitch barked and the entire crowd kicked into gear like an angry ursa was on their tail.

"Winter, come along. Legacies, you too, except for the youngest," Ironwood said as he turned and started walking back towards Beacon. He said something to Penny that Ruby couldn't hear but apparently it made her happy since she nodded eagerly.

"Right…" Ryoma sighed as he nodded for Takumi and Camilla to go after Ironwood and Winter. He placed his hand on Kamui's shoulder again.

"Sorry, Kamui, we'll have to catch up later," he said with a small smile. Kamui frowned and let out a small sigh and nodded.

"It's alright, Ryoma. Just…go see your children please, they've been asking about you for some time now," Kamui said and Ryoma nodded.

"Of course, I would never forget about them," Ryoma said as he finally lifted his hand from Kamui and followed after the other riders and Atlas officials. Kamui shook his head though when his brother's back was to him before he turned to her and shrugged. Then Ruby felt someone pat the top of her head and she giggled a bit since she knew who it was.

"Hey kid, no hello for me?" Qrow asked cheekily as he ruffled her hair up. Ruby jumped up and hugged the man joyfully.

"It's so good to see you Uncle Qrow! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!" Ruby asked as she hung from his neck. Her uncle chuckled as he pried her off of him and placed her on the ground.

"All part of being a professional Huntsman, kid," Qrow said in his usual easy going tone.

"It is a bit of a surprise for you to just turn up unannounced like this," Kamui commented as he walked up to the huntsman. Qrow chuckled and slicked his hair back again.

"Well, Kiddo, your brother wanted it to be a surprise. Except I wanted to ruffle the Ice Queen's feathers. By the way, where's my hello? You gave Ryoma one right away," Qrow teased and Kamui rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"When you're not drunk maybe I will, Felica's still mad at you for trying to feed me alcohol," Kamui sighed and Ruby laughed at the thought. Her Uncle actually did do that to Yang before, their dad was less than pleased about that to put it lightly.

"Jeez, I remember the times when you were a little rider and you'd be almost as excited to see me and Ruby here," Qrow sighed as he ruffled Ruby's hair again. Ruby pushed his hand off though and straightened her hair back. Kamui rolled his eyes but he smiled and gave the man a short hug, literally lasting for only two seconds before he backed off.

"There…happy?" Kamui asked, amused.

"Qrow, a word please," Ozpin cut in, a distinct commanding edge in his tone. Qrow sighed and scratched the back of his head before he leaned down towards Ruby.

"Well, duty calls. I'll see you later kiddo. We'll play some games after I'm done getting chewed out," Qrow said and Ruby nodded eagerly as they fist bumped.

"It's a deal," Ruby agreed quickly as Qrow chuckled and walked off towards the Headmaster.

"Suddenly your reckless attitude and his well-mannered one make sense," Weiss cut in as she stormed over. Ruby stuck her tongue out at her.

"You're just mad that Kamui was going to kick your butt in front of your sister and that my uncle kicked your sister's butt," Ruby teased and Weiss's eyes hardened into a glare.

"That was a draw! They were interrupted!" Weiss snapped, her face turning red. Ruby and Kamui laughed at her flushed face as she grumbled to herself. Then Kamui bumped Ruby and pointed to the approaching Penny. She had a bright smile on her face as she approached and Ruby quickly ran up to hug the orange haired girl.

"Penny!" Ruby shouted happily followed by another one of the girl's back crushing hugs. Ruby suffered through it though since she knew that Penny was happy to see her too. Ruby didn't get to see her match unfortunately, apparently it was one of the earlier matches in the day.

"It's so good to see you again, Ruby and you too Kamui," Penny said, excitedly as she pulled back from the hug. Then she gave a hug to Kamui as well.

"We didn't get to see your match. Was it early in the day?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, me and my team won our match soundly and the General had us vacate Amity right after. Except he just told me that I can spend time with you as long as we stay on Beacon Grounds!" Penny exclaimed excitedly.

"That's great! I can show you what Video Games are finally!" Ruby said excitedly as she hopped around like she was just told that she'd get a full batch of cookies just for herself.

"Kamui isn't that great!" Ruby exclaimed as she grabbed onto her boyfriend's hands. She wanted to spend time with Penny for awhile ever since they found out she was an android and that they were trusted enough to know. Except Kamui shook his head and Ruby stopped.

"Sorry, Ruby. I have some things to do first. I'll be happy to be involved in whatever plans you have but I just need to finish something first ok?" Kamui asked. Ruby thought about it and she figured that he wanted to go talk to his brother's.

"You'll meet up with us later?" Ruby asked.

"Of course, I'll only take a few hours and then I'll come back to play with you ok?" Kamui asked as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Ruby blushed but she nodded.

"As long as you promise," Ruby giggled.

"I promise," Kamui chuckled as he parted from her and walked off towards Beacon. Ruby sighed but she smiled at Penny and motioned towards the dorms and they quickly ran off. Hopefully her sister and the others wouldn't mind if she hung out with them.

 **Kamui's POV**

"Stupid Computer!" Kamui growled as he slammed his hand into the desk he was sitting at. He nearly cracked the table and he groaned in annoyance since he was probably going to get a talking to about that later. Thankfully the library was basically empty, even the librarian wasn't around. The festival was a time of celebration after all and that meant everyone. It made it easier on Kamui, a lot easier. He would have gone to the CTT tower but he didn't trust it since it was run by Atlas and he would have to register that he was using it. Plus he was still worried that the woman he and Ruby nearly caught had done something to it.

"Why can't these stupid files just work for me?" Kamui asked himself as he stared at the computer, the screen reading: no content found. Like he planned, he decided to use the commotion to sneak away and start researching on the things he discovered during his little spar with Ruby a few days ago. Unfortunately every time he searched up the word "Silver Eyes" or "Rose Family" nothing came up. He tried using the normal internet at first but that obviously didn't work so he decided to try his family's archives. He technically wasn't supposed to access them outside of an area his family controlled but he was careful. Beacon was private, not government run so he didn't have to worry about the Vale Council snooping around in his business. It seemed like his efforts were in vain though, because even his family's vast archives, which spanned eons upon eons to the point of it being eras had nothing in it.

"Great…a dead end…" Kamui sighed as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He knew for a fact that "Rose Family" or something related to them had to be in his family's archives. Especially since his brother's personally knew Summer Rose, Ruby's mother. He could only assume that he was being censored or maybe he wasn't using the right words. There was a small scuffling under the table and then he felt a little nudge against his leg. He smiled and looked down to see little Zwei staring up at him.

"Hey, Zwei, did Ruby kick you out?" Kamui asked as he reached down to pet the corgi. The adorable dog let out a small bark, which he took as a yes. The little corgi was quite the ball of energy, able to entertain all of his nieces and nephews easily. The little dog liked to follow him around almost as much as he liked to follow Ruby. His girlfriend said it was because the dog had sort of "accepted" him, Kamui didn't know how he felt about needed a dog's approval but he just went along with it.

"Well I guess you can hang around me, it's not like I'm doing anything important…" Kamui sighed as adjusted his seat and pulled the seat next to him out. The corgi jumped onto the seat and sat down as he stared at him. Kamui scratched the dog behind his ears a little before he turned his gaze back to the screen. He needed to try something else. He snapped his fingers and then he typed the name "Summer Rose" into the search bar.

This time he didn't even get a "No Content Found" he got an "Access Restricted". He cursed inside his head and resisted the urge to punch the table again in fear of smashing it. That confirmed something at least, his family did have something. He could try to hack through the wall but Takumi would know it was him and he didn't want to be found out. He could ask Camilla for access but he knew that she would tell his brothers. His family archives were not going to work. Perhaps he could try…the Beacon archives? The real ones, the files that Ozpin and his little circle kept hidden. His mom told him about them, they might not be as detailed as what his family had but it would probably be good enough to sate his desire to know.

Except he would run into the same issue again. Just because he knew how to access them, didn't mean he knew how to actually use them. He could ask his mom for her access but he didn't want to get her in trouble and she didn't just appear on his demand either. He couldn't ask Professor Ozpin or any of the teachers. Apart from the obvious question: "How he even knew about them" they would tell his family probably and he really really wanted this to be discrete. His musings were broken though when he sensed someone else in the room with him. He turned in his chair and stood up, drawing his sword in one flourish only to be met with a chuckling, Qrow.

"Man, you really are uptight like your brother," Qrow joked and Kamui sighed as he sheathed his sword and crossed his arms.

"I prefer the term, alert. Why are you even here, shouldn't you be bugging Ruby and Yang," Kamui corrected. Zwei let out a small bark as he wagged his tail at Qrow and the reaper chuckled as he reached down to scratch the little corgi's ears.

"Your brother said something similar whenever I commented on his jumpiness. Though in our line of work, you can't blame him. And I actually did go see my nieces, Ruby asked me to tell you that she was going to hold you to your promise," Qrow said as he looked at the screen. His easy going demeanor dropped immediately and a frown adorned his face.

"Why are you looking up information on Summer?" he asked, a dangerous edge entering his voice. Kamui closed the window and pulled his chip for his family's archives out of the computer.

"None of your business," Kamui said as he shut down the computer. Before he could make a move away though, he felt Qrow grab him by his wrist.

"She was my teammate and my niece's mom. I think that makes it my business especially since you're dating my niece," Qrow said as he released his arm.

"My relationship with Ruby has nothing to do with this, at least not directly. I'm just curious," Kamui said and made a move to leave again.

"I could let it slip to Ryoma that you were trying to access parts of the archives that are restricted to you," Qrow added off handed and Kamui felt anger surge through him like a flood. His aura flared as he turned to glare at the reaper who just had a smirk on his face. His flames dances along his arms as his semblance activated.

"You better cool it kid. Just because you're Nephilim doesn't mean you're still not a squirt to me. At least not in your current state, but you can't exactly just transform here can you?" Qrow commented without flinching as he pulled his flask out and took a sip from it. Kamui growled in annoyance but he relented and his powers receded.

"That's better, now then. Answer my question," Qrow said as he put his flask away.

"I sense something strange about Ruby, especially after the Breach…I think her mother might have had something similar," Kamui explained and Qrow's eyes hardened further at the statement.

"I am not using her by any means, I truly care for her…more than I ever thought I could care for someone. But…there's something that's still in the back of everyone's mind, I'm sure," Kamui said.

"Such as?" Qrow asked.

"I am a Nephilim as you know, half angel and half mortal. Ozpin knows this very well as do most of the staff I imagine. I am much more powerful than a mortal and that is why Ozpin allowed me in early. Same for my sister before me," Kamui explained.

"However, Ruby was allowed the same honor as I was. I know Ozpin is no fool. Ruby is gifted there is no doubt about that but look at Pyrrha, she was easily superior to Ruby when she was her age yet she wasn't allowed in early. I didn't pay it much mind considering that Ruby was a good friend and it was nice to have someone around that could understand the pressure of being aloud in early. So I have to wonder, especially after the fact that Ozpin and Ironwood sent us on a mission meant for upper years…" Kamui said and Qrow nodded and motioned for him to continue. Kamui felt annoyed since he knew that Qrow knew exactly what he was talking about yet he still played him off like he didn't know what was going on.

"I can't help but wonder what your little circle has planned for us, especially myself, Ruby and my friend Jaune. There are special circumstances surrounding all three of us and I want to know what's going on. I wouldn't have known about the mission to Glenn if mom didn't tell me and even then I only found the night before," Kamui said, bitterly. As much as he valued his friendship with Jaune, he knew that he wasn't suited for combat when he arrived, Ozpin should have been able to spot that from a mile away yet he allowed him in. And Ruby was a sweet girl who held his heart and a gifted reaper but it wasn't until that spar he had with her that he realized there was more to her than he originally though. Those two were two of the closer ones to him and he would burn anyone who sought to try and use them. Qrow scoffed as he leaned against the chair he was standing next to.

"It still eludes me why Raven cares so much about you that she would break protocols, especially when she already has a daughter. She really spoils you too much for your own good," Qrow said a bit bitterly. Kamui winced slightly at that, he still hadn't figured out a way to break the news to Yang that he knew her mom. He barely told Ruby before they were rushed off to Mountain Glenn and after the Breach well…he just wanted things to return to stable.

"I don't appreciate being used as a pawn by mortals, Qrow…and I dislike it even more when the same thing is being done to my team, my friends," Kamui said as he tightened his fists next to his sides. He trusted Ozpin and the others because his father and his brothers did but even that had limits. Mountain Glenn had thrown them all into a situation they were not prepared for and Kamui would call them liars if they claimed that they didn't know what was there. Yes his team were part of the top percent of their year and maybe even the entire school but that did not excuse what they had done. What were they trying to do?

"Ha! You really care about them don't you? I can see it in your eyes. Hm…all right, kid I'll make you a deal. You stop trying to stick your nose in this business and I'll help you out," Qrow offered as he pushed away from the chair. Kamui's anger dropped at the offer, was he serious.

"What's the catch?" Kamui asked. Qrow laughed as he came up to him and he pulled something out from his pocket and handed it to him. It was a chip for a scroll.

"No catch…just what I said. Do not attempt to stick your sword in things from the shadows and I'll help you out. Hell I'll make it so you don't have to be in the shadows anymore. I'm technically not supposed to allow inductees in like this without consulting but since I already know you won't just turn a blind eye, I might as well make it a little easier on everyone," Qrow said and Kamui attentively took the chip from Qrow and trusting it wasn't a trick he put it into his scroll. The first thing that happened was a small screen appeared over his screen and it read "Welcome to the Big Leagues" followed by an identification request. A small screen with a fingerprint reader appeared.

"Just let it read your fingerprint and you'll be given clearance to some codes. Now there's obviously more to it but if I clear anything more then basic codes the others will know something is up since they'll see you. We'll need to talk with Ozpin and the others before we give you full membership," Qrow explained. Kamui felt a little annoyed but if he'd get his answers then he didn't mind. He placed his thumb on the reader and after it said clearance gained the screen faded and a little black box app appeared on his scroll.

"Clearance to what exactly?" Kamui asked. Qrow let out a small sigh as he took a swig from his flask again. Kamui was wondering if he just drank it more because of the taste then actually getting drunk. Since he didn't seem drunk at all now.

"Look, you'll understand when you get there. After the doubles round tomorrow, just go straight to Beacon's tower, don't stop for anything if you want to pull this off effectively. Your scroll now has the codes for the elevator, just swipe it there and it'll take you there. Go in and take a look when you get there and the rest of us will come by at some point. Hopefully you'll understand by the time we do and if you don't we'll be forced to tell you anyway," Qrow explained. Kamui nodded though there was a small problem with that.

"How do you expect me to get away from Ruby and the others? They'll know something is up if I'm in a hurry," Kamui said and Qrow sighed and shook his head.

"Come on Rider, think. You can easily say that you want to meet up with your siblings. If it makes you feel any better you won't be lying exactly. They'll be there tomorrow too anyway. If you're really not sure you could always just leave after all your friends have their matches. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to see what's going on after that…" Qrow grunted. Kamui bit back any retort he had for the man, as much as the man pestered him he had helped him plenty and was helping him again.

"Thank you, Qrow…Ruby was right about you, so was Yang," Kamui said genuinely, the sisters always talked about their uncle like he was a hero that always helped them whenever they really needed him. Kamui could agree with it, Qrow was always there for his brother's whenever they needed him. Qrow sighed and scratched the back of his head again as he pushed off of the chair he was leaning on. Zwei barked and jumped off the chair and scurried over to Kamui, much to his amusement. Qrow sighed as his shoulders slumped a bit and for a moment Kamui thought that his aura immortality had failed somehow and his body had aged fifty years.

"I'm no hero, Kamui, neither is my sister or most of the people in our little "club". I've met plenty of people who I believed could actually become heroes. Only a few of them actually earned the title though; fewer still are actually alive still. My nieces might believe that all of us are heroes but the sad truth is that true heroes are rare and hard to come by. Besides…I'm only helping you out here because you have a right to be present for tomorrow's meeting, you'll understand what I mean when the time comes," Qrow said as he began walking off. As he passed Kamui though he stopped.

"Tai will definitely disapprove but I think you and my niece actually have something that shouldn't be stopped. I can tell you care about her…but keep in mind that love can still make people do wrong things too. Remember that you're a Nephilim and the Rider of War…you're a loose cannon waiting to go off whether you like it or not. There is no evading your nature…you know that. I actually believe that Ruby is different and that she'll stay true but all the same…" Qrow said said somberly, leaving the last bit unsaid. Kamui's eyes went downcast at his words, he didn't respond even when Qrow went on his way and left him alone.

Kamui's heart tightened at the thought of being without Ruby. Then anger filled him again at the implication Qrow dropped on him. How dare he!? What did he know?! Kamui started breathing heavily as his blood boiled inside him, his fists tightening again. Qrow had no idea what it was like to be part of an endangered species, from birth they must hide from the world or risk exposure and worse. Mortals had no right to judge them...the Npehilim were the judges and it was there right to rule everything! Then Kamui's eyes widened at that thought and he gasped when he realized that his entire being was on fire again and that Zwei was whimpering and backing away from him. Kamui's flames dropped immediately and he dropped to his knees in anger and despair.

"Damn it!" Kamui shouted as he hit the ground, creating a small crater in the ground. He felt his eyes get moist as he tried to quell the fact that he just proved what Qrow said was true. He was the Rider of War…chaos was his domain, his nature…destruction would be his only legacy…a monster…

"I'm not a monster…I'm not a monster…I'm not a monster…" Kamui said to himself as he tried to calm himself down. All the faces of the people he killed ran through his mind at that moment. Their screams, their terrified or angered faces as he mercilessly cut or burned them all down. The fact that he felt enjoyment every time he caused that chaos did nothing but feel him with disgust. His heart felt content but his mind was horrified.

He gasped as he forced the images away from his thoughts. He gripped his head as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He managed to keep his tears from falling but the despair he felt would not disappear. Then he felt something nudging his hand and he opened his eyes to see Zwei had come up to him and was licking and nuzzling his other hand. The dog barked happily when it saw him looking at him and wagged his tail excitedly as he tugged on his hand. He probably wanted to take him to Ruby.

"You…you're not afraid?" Kamui asked and Zwei barked again as he continued to tug on him playfully. Then Kamui heard the door to the library open again and he flinched.

"Kamui? Zwei?" it was Ruby. Zwei gave off a bark and Kamui shook his head and wiped his eyes to hide his shame. He couldn't let Ruby see him like that. He stood up quickly as Zwei ran off towards the voice of the little reaper. Kamui followed after him quickly and as he rounded one of the bookshelves, Ruby literally ran right into him. He grunted as she slammed right into his chest but he quickly wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling over.

"Ow…" Ruby whined but she didn't sound like she was really in pain. She blushed when she realized he was holding her but she looked up at him with a bright smile.

"There you are! You said you would play with us in a few hours! It's been three hours!" Ruby whined and Kamui chuckled nervously, he didn't know he was gone for that long. Did his talk with Qrow really last that long too?

"I sent Zwei to come find you! What took so long! I thought you were going off to see your brothers?" Ruby pouted. She really was too cute sometimes for her own good. Kamui's dread left him almost right away.

"I did. They left a little while ago. I was just finishing up a report for Professor Goodwitch when Zwei found me," Kamui explained. He didn't exactly lie, they did actually have a paper assigned to them. Ruby made a sour face at the mention of the paper their combat instructor assigned.

"Boo! That's boring! Honestly, why would she assign a paper to us when all she does is run our combat class? It's the Vytal Festival too! Come on, you already missed Penny!" Ruby groaned as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him away. Zwei ran around them, energetic as always.

"Hey, Ruby. My siblings want to meet up with me tomorrow also. There's nothing wrong with that, right?" Kamui asked as his reaper dragged him through the halls of Beacon, her dog walking beside them. They got a few looks from other students in the halls, mostly because of Zwei though from the awws the girls gave.

"Are you going to be able to watch the matches with us?" Ruby asked.

"Of course, I'll stick around for my team's matches of course. But I think I need to run out to meet them after that," Kamui said, using the story given to him by Qrow.

"Ok then!" Ruby agreed. Kamui was a little surprised that worked so well.

"But you have to promise me that we'll have a date the next day!" Ruby added and Kamui chuckled but his face heated up in embarrassment.

"If you wanted a date, you could have just asked…" he replied and Ruby's cheeks flushed and she stuck her tongue out at him before she dragged him to her dorm.

"Hey guys I found him!" Ruby shouted as she opened the door. The RWBY dorm was packed pretty much to put it lightly. While it could easily house the nine people of RWBY, JNPR and their Rider, it was also stocked with a bunch of beanbag chairs and snacks. Zwei barked and immediately ran up to Weiss who grabbed the little dog up like a little girl and started petting him.

"So you found your boy toy after all," Yang commented as she turned her head from the TV and the game she was playing on it. Ruby sped away from him at that point and tackled her sister down and they ended up going into one of their little tumbles of brawling much to Blake's annoyance since they rolled onto her as she was trying to read her book. Then they ended up rolling into Weiss as well who wasn't paying attention since she was playing with Zwei. The little Corgi jumped out of her arms onto the bed right before the brawling bawl of sisters and Blake rammed into the heiress.

Kamui laughed at the struggle but he chose to leave them to it since he was more concerned with JNPR. They were all sitting around Ruby and Weiss's bunk, looking a bit more disheveled than they should have been from the way they soundly won their match. Ren was leaning against the bed from the ground, his eyes closed. Nora looked as energetic as ever, no surprise there though she did seem a little ruffled like she fought a behemoth over a stack of pancakes. Pyrrha looked as cheerful as ever though she seemed to be really tired and just smiled to keep up appearances. Jaune looked like he just took one of Port's exams, he was laying on the bed, his head laid on Pyrrha's lap as she combed her hand through his hair. His armor was still on him but his expression of dread was plain hilarious to Kamui.

"So...I take it the crowd was less than willing to let you guys just duck out?" Kamui asked and Jaune shuddered while Pyrrha gave him a glare. Nora and Ren just gave him small waves.

"That's putting it mildly" Ren sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"It was fun! We had to make an epic escape like in the movies!" Nora exclaimed.

"I don't call running for our lives from thousands of angry fans fun. We had to use jump over them by the stands and we ended up having to literally jump off the stadium to the safety of the city. Thank Oum Nora and Pyrrha were able to make us sort of land softly. Then we had to go by rooftop to reach Beacon and then we had to use Nora as a literal battering ram to get through all the people in the courtyard and the walkway!" Jaune exclaimed as he sat up quickly. Kamui covered his mouth to keep his laughter down. He noticed a bunch of lipstick stains on his neck now that he was sitting up.

"So…how was it? What are those from? Pyrrha I hope…" Kamui asked in between laughs. Pyrrha huffed and pulled Jaune back onto her lap and started furiously trying to wipe the things from Jaune's neck.

"What the hell did they use? Markers for lipstick?" Pyrrha asked, furiously as she tried to wipe the things off of her boyfriend. Jaune looked embarrassed but a smile wormed its way onto his face.

"Well you see, Sun's team was up next and their opponents were Team NDGO," Jaune said a little dreamily followed by a yelp as Pyrrha smacked his head.

"That all girl team from Vaccuo? The one where they have a girl that has a crush of you, Gwen I think," Kamui asked. He'd met them through spar and he'd talked to them a little bit during combat class along with Jaune. They always stuck around Jaune and by extension all of them during combat class. They claimed that they spoke to them since they were the only two boys that didn't drool at them. That was…interesting and funny at least to Kamui, Jaune was a mess the whole time, he didn't know what to do with the attention really. Kamui actually thought that Gwen might have actually liked the blonde since she always tried to compliment him. Not that the blonde would notice of course. NDGO were all pretty, to the point that a lot of boys were staring at them almost as much as they stared at Pyrrha or Yang. It was like the opposite of Sun's team now that Kamui thought about it. In fact Kamui remembered Weiss slapping Neptune for flirting with the all girl team. Jaune got a kick out of that to put it lightly.

"The same ones and uh yeah…well you can guess…" Jaune said nervously and Kamui laughed at the fuming look on Pyrrha's face.

"Ok obvious question, why did you let it happen?" Kamui asked. Jaune chuckled nervously as Pyrrha smacked the back of his head again, making him yelp.

"Well you see…I got out first and she sort of jumped me…and well I guess she didn't know that Pyrrha and I were dating yet…" Jaune mumbled, embarrassed. Kamui flicked his head that time out of annoyance rather than amusement.

"That didn't answer my question," Kamui added and Jaune chuckled nervously.

"Uh…she was very fast. I swear I tried to push her off! I told her that I was dating Pyrrha but she was already doing this to me by the time the words came out!" Jaune exclaimed and Pyrrha sighed and hugged the blonde knight.

"You're too naïve for your own good sometimes…at least she was sorry after you told her…" Pyrrha sighed and Jaune relaxed. Kamui thought about asking how Gwen and the others didn't see Jaune kiss Pyrrha after their victory but chose not to since he felt like the blonde had squirmed enough.

"Say you're sorry or I'll do it!" Kamui looked back over to the brawling sisters and he saw a rather amusing sight, horrifying for Yang though. Ruby had somehow gotten Yang pinned down with her foot and had Crescent Rose drawn and a bunch of Yang's hair held out like she was about to hack it off. Weiss and Blake were ruffled beyond comfort and were trying to smooth out their clothes while Yang looked straight up terrified.

"Ruby I'm you're sister!" Yang screamed and while Kamui held back his laugh, the rest of JNPR didn't. Camilla acted like that too when her hair was threatened, Kamui used to threaten to singe her hair back when they were kids when she was bugging him. He didn't do it anymore since he could bear her coddling now.

"Say you're sorry about that comment then!" Ruby threatened, her scythe edging ever closer to Yang's blond locks.

"Ok I'm sorry! He's not a boy toy! Just let my hair go!" Yang shouted desperately and like a switch Ruby turned back to her normal peppy self.

"Ok!" Ruby let go of her hair and hopped off of her and hopped over to the desk in the room like nothing had happened while Yang started combing her hair like it was her pet almost. The way she guarded her hair was so ridiculous but it made her happy.

"Hey everyone! Attention!" Ruby shouted even though attention was already on her. She pulled something out of her desk proudly and Kamui noticed Jaune perk up immediately at the sight of it.

"What's that, Ruby?" Yang asked as she sat up, apparently holding no grudge against the one who threatened her precious hair. Ruby giggled and opened up the simple case. Everyone peered inside to see that inside was bunch of pins or badges, nine of them to be exact. The pins were gold in color but it was the design that interested Kamui. The design was a scythe and a flaming sword crossing each other with two little arcs going across them.

"They're the team pins that Jaune and I designed! It's out team's symbol!" Ruby exclaimed. Kamui looked over at Jaune and he nodded with a smile. Kamui approached first and picked one out and looked at the thing closely but he smiled.

"I assume that it's supposed to symbolize you, Kamui and Jaune?" Weiss asked as she took one next.

"Yeah! We thought it would be cool since we're the leaders. Should we pick something else? We have other designs," Jaune asked as he took one for himself and patched it onto his armor, specifically the area around his neck since that wasn't covered by plate.

"I think they're cool!" Nora exclaimed as she picked one out and pinned it to her shirt.

"Do we have to wear them all the time?" Blake asked as she took one as well. Everyone else grabbed one for themselves as well.

"Well at least keep them with you. We made them because we're technically all one big team," Ruby said as she attached her pin to her cloak. Kamui placed his into his pouch on his belt since he still liked the one he wore currently more. It was his symbol after all. Nora, Jaune and Ruby were the only ones who actively wore them right away. Pyrrha put hers on after seeing how happy it would make Jaune. Everyone else pocketed them, whether they would wear them was yet to be seen. Kamui felt good though, his pervious dread had left him completely now that he was in the company of friends. He wrapped his arm around Ruby, who blushed at his affectionate move but she seemed content.

"Yeah…I think I can handle it…" Kamui thought to himself as he silently promised himself to prove Qrow wrong about his nature. Ruby said she believed in him already, he would prove her faith well placed.

"Hey Kamui, how about you play me in a game of Pete's Racing?" Ruby asked as she suddenly materialized a controller in her hand and pressed it towards him. Yang and Jaune had controllers also and were already setting up a game on the TV. He looked down at the controller and then back up to her staring at him expectantly before he sighed and took the controller from her.

"Fine…" Kamui sighed. Ruby squealed and lightning fast she leaned up and kissed him before she made him sit down next to her in front of the TV. The rest of the group all situated themselves around them, even the ones who would prefer to do something quieter.

"Loser has to buy us all pizza!" Yang proclaimed and Kamui resisted the urge to glare at her since he didn't play video games his whole life like the other three he was going to play with.

"By the way, I like my pizza extra large…" Yang said mischievously. This time Kamui glared at her but Yang just laughed it off. As the game came up, Kamui reached over towards Yang and snapped her controller's left stick before she could notice. Yang let out a gasp as she realized that her controller was sabotaged and the rest of the gang just laughed at her as she tried to steer her car with no steering wheel basically. She had her d-pad but apparently it wasn't good for the game they were playing.

"What the hell is wrong with this thing!?" Yang shouted as the race went poorly for her. Ruby and Kamui shared a look, she obviously knew that he did something but she didn't appear to disapprove

"Oops…" Kamui thought as they raced. Yang kept complaining the whole way but there was no real fire behind her words since it was just pizza. Then Jaune asked an interesting question.

"Hey guys, so since we're a full group, what would we call ourselves?"

* * *

 **Thoughts?**


	20. Maiden

I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem

In case anyone is wondering, this whole thing was planned with only a few alterations made during creation, the tournament being one of them. Anyway on another note if the characters all appear more powerful than in canon it's because of Kamui's influence. He spars against all of them regularly so it's natural that they all try to rise to the occasion of eventually matching him or Pyrrha for that matter. Pyrrha would be stronger as well if she grew up next to living legends. They both drive them all of them to do their best and try to grow faster as fighters.

Also I can't wait for episode 4 of Vol. 4 now. We're going to get to the meat of the plot now that all the introductions have been made and all the feels have been set in.

Chapter 19: Maiden

 **Ruby's POV**

"Go get them guys!" Ruby shouted as she cheered for her sister and her partner as they fought against Neon and Flynt from Atlas. Ruby hadn't spoken to those guys before, she'd seen them around but they were never put in class with any of her group. From what she could see though, Flynt seemed to have something against Weiss.

"They're certainly fired up," Blake commented beside her as they watched the two vs two brawl get quite violent. Yang's temper came into play of course and Neon just seemed to keep pushing her buttons as she skated away from her. Meanwhile Weiss and Flynt were having more of a ranged battle than anything else, Weiss's dust against Flynt's sound. Ruby knew Weiss could win easily if she got up close but she couldn't just yet.

"This is when fights get good though, when passion and mind become one," Kamui added and Ruby turned to her other side to see Kamui and JNPR but it was Kamui she was concerned with. She didn't say anything yesterday since she didn't want to pressure him but she knew something was bugging him. She saw her Uncle leave the library before she found Kamui there. She knew the moment she saw him in the library that something was weighing him down, more than usual. The small party they had yesterday had lightened him up and she thought he was ok but when they met up to go to Amity, he seemed worse than before and it seemed like he was getting more stressed as time went on.

She chalked it up to just nerves though, from what she saw, he wasn't used to being around all three of his siblings at once so it was probably a shock to him. From what she witnessed, he was apparently used to his siblings or at least his brothers brushing him off, he must be nervous since they asked him to meet up with them again. Ruby was happy for him though, he deserved to be with his family, which was why she was fine with allowing him to run off early after some of the matches. She could understand the feeling all too well, she used to feel that way whenever her Uncle was gone for long periods.

"Speaking from experience?" Ruby asked and Kamui turned to her and he gave her a small nod.

"Of course, I believe we all know the feeling of putting our entire being into a fight. It's bad in some cases but it sure is a lot more fun," Kamui replied followed by a nod from Pyrrha.

"I can agree that sparing against an equal is very exhilarating. Jaune and I certainly enjoyed ourselves in our match," Pyrrha added. JNPR had already won their match in the doubles round. Pyrrha was selected of course and surprisingly Jaune went in as well with his partner. Ruby really expected Nora to go in with Pyrrha since they were the two heavy hitters of the team or Ren so that they would have a balance. Though she supposed it made sense since Jaune was her partner and he probably wanted to prove himself again, Ruby didn't hold that against him at all. Ruby was proud of her best friend, he'd grown so much since she first met him. Kamui and Pyrrha were as well, especially the latter. He was still far behind the rest of their group but he had definitely grown past average now, which was saying a lot considering that he was less than an initiate when he started a few months ago. Even Weiss was starting to give him attention, ironically.

"Yeah, it's fun to go all out and not have to worry about the opponent since they can take it!" Nora added and Ruby couldn't help but agree.

"It is very freeing," Ren commented. Then Jaune groaned as he leaned back in his chair, his armor clanking as he did so.

"How about fighting someone better than you? All the time?" he asked, followed by a laugh from the whole gang. He was in a remarkably good mood after his victory the day before and it had only gotten better after his victory in the doubles round.

They ended up fighting against a team from Mistral. A boy and a girl from Team APOC(Apocalypse). The boy was the equivalent of a samurai while the girl was a knight. It was actually a close fight and all the more exciting in the good way unlike Sun's team. The samurai boy was actually able to stand toe to toe against Pyrrha for most of the fight while Jaune was in an uphill battle against the female knight. Surprisingly Jaune managed to stay in the whole fight and come out on top in his fight, his large aura reserves probably had a lot to do with it though since he suffered more hits than his opponent did but nonetheless he won. Then Pyrrha and Jaune ganged up on the samurai and it wasn't long after that when they defeated him. Thankfully Jaune didn't cause another scene like last time so they were able to return to their seats.

"Well when you lose you're supposed to learn something. Though you also learn things from winning too," Pyrrha answered as she placed her hand on his, making him blush.

"I am surprised that you decided to sit out of the doubles though, my Little Reaper, I thought you wanted a chance at the crown?" Kamui asked as turned to her. Ruby shook her head though and took his hand in her own and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"I did…but I really think Yang and Weiss are a bit more suited for it. Plus Yang probably has the best shot of winning out of the four of us. Besides I have a much better prize than a championship," Ruby sighed, happily. After all, who else could say that their boyfriend was an angel?

"Oh so I am some sort of prize now?" Kamui asked, amused. Ruby giggled and she pulled his arm towards her harder.

"Yes and I don't share…" Ruby said and Kamui laughed. Then Ruby felt his other hand lift her head up towards his as he leaned in to kiss her softly. It was a sweet kiss that only lasted a few moments but it did the job. Ruby blushed as red as her hood when he pulled away.

"I don't share either…" he replied with a smile and Ruby sputtered and just pulled her hood over her head in embarrassment. She still didn't like being kissed in public like that even if it was sweet. Then another thought came to Ruby and she felt a little depressed.

"It's too bad we missed Penny's match again. I can't believe she got picked first again and that we slept in," Ruby sighed as she looked around the coliseum for her orange haired friend. Blake gave off a scoff though and Ruby turned to her.

"We? Don't loop the rest of us in with yourself. You and Ren were the ones who took forever to wake up and the only reason you did was because Yang and Nora threatened to throw you out the window," Blake chided and Ruby flushed again and pulled her hood further down.

"We would have too!" Nora added way too happy followed by a shudder from the black haired ninja. Ruby believed her, she remembered the time when Nora promised to eat every single pancake in the school one day. They all thought she was joking but she proved them wrong. They literally had to wait a full week to get more pancakes. Yang was grumpy about that for a while, something about how Nora could burn it all off so fast and it not being fair.

"Yang seems angrier than usual…" Ren pointed out and they turned their attention back to the fight to see that their friends were not exactly in a stellar position. Yang and Neon seemed to be evenly matched if only because they couldn't hit each other. But Weiss was straight up losing to Flynt now. She was getting blown back by Flynt's sound attacks. She must have been running low on dust but Flynt apparently didn't need dust to use his trumpet. Ruby reminded herself to ask him if she could look at his weapon later.

"They're keeping them at a distance," Jaune commented as Neon and Flynt seemed to dominate the match.

"Indeed, a sound strategy when confronting two people who excel at close combat. Keep them off balance, hit and runs or plainly keep them back with ranged attacks," Kamui added as he held his hand out and created a flame in it. It started out a little small but it began to grow as the match progressed.

"It's how I would fight them off…except…" Ren added as Yang started taking hits from Neon as she used her superior agility and speed to strike her as she passed her. Except everyone knew from experience that Yang wasn't very nice when she got angry. The only ones who could tank her anger were Pyrrha, Kamui and Nora, the two former able to beat her every time while the latter was evenly matched. Jaune take it as well but to a lesser extent than the other three and that was because he usually got pummeled. Ruby knew all too well that most people did not want to even attempt to tank a blow from Yang when she really got going and it was even worse if you tried to goad her into it like Neon seemed to do.

Weiss activated one of her glyphs and charged at Flynt but the musician just sent his sound attack towards her again. Then Ruby smiled as she saw Weiss's black glyphs appear in front of her in a line, the sound attack doing nothing against her now. Then suddenly there were…four Flynt's in front of her and they all blew in their trumpets, sending an even more powerful sound wave towards the Heiress. Weiss stopped in her tracks and stabbed her rapier into the ground as she kept her black glyphs up so she wouldn't be sent flying but she wasn't going anywhere fast. Then Ruby noticed a glyph appear behind Flynt and then a hail storm of ice shot out of them, nailing all of the Flynt's in the back. The doppelgangers all disappeared when the original was hit, all of them seeming to fall back into him. Weiss sprung forward after her obstruction was lifted.

Then she stabbed her rapier into Flynt's chest, sending him back a few feet before she kicked his trumpet out of his hands and then her speed glyph appeared under her as she glowed gold. Then she was gone in a flash and Flynt gaped before he suddenly got nailed in the back, stumbling forward then he stumbled back from another strike. Then he started suffering from a flurry of strikes that must have been too fast for most of the crowd to see but Ruby and the others could see it just fine. After all, Ruby was the one that helped her learn the technique.

"If you don't take them down quick you're only waiting to take the hammer of power they wield…" Blake finished and the flame in Kamui's hand grew larger, almost as big as his hand. He clenched his hand around the flame, the fire bursting through his fingers like a cracking dam. Before he suddenly opened his hand and sent the flame out in a sort of dispersive manner. The flames didn't touch anything since they died out shortly after leaving his palm but Ruby understood the meaning.

"Yah!" Yang yelled as her semblance activated full force. Her aura exploded around her as her hair began glowing and her usual iliac eyes turned red in anger. She slammed her fist into the ground, cracking the entire field, knocking Neon's rhythm off since she had trouble skating on the now jagged floor. Ruby knew that there was no way that they could lose to them; they'd fought harder opponents in each other.

"And there's the hammer," Pyrrha finished as Yang lunged at Neon. Neo to her credit managed to dodge the first strike but this time when she nailed Yang in the back with her weapon it did little other than annoy her. Then Yang turned and slammed her fist into Neon's stomach, sending her flying in a rather colorful stream before she slammed into one of the rocks on the arena. Then Yang fired some of her blasts at the Faunus, igniting her up into a colorful explosion followed by the loud buzzer, signaling ring out. Then right as Yang calmed down, Weiss appeared behind her, swiping Myrtenaster down, the buzzer signaling another ring out sounded and then the two let out a breath. Ruby looked over and saw Flynt lying flat on his back before he sat up and threw his hat in the air in what she thought was a show of respect.

"And the Winners are Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long of Team RWBY and Beacon. They will be sending a member to the singles round and the finals tomorrow!" Professor Port announced. Ruby let out a cheer with the rest of her group. She stood up and jumped in the air as she clapped for her sister and her partner. Blake was clapping politely but not to the extent that she was. JNPR were all clapping as well, Nora cheering even louder than Ruby was. Kamui was clapping politely but she knew that he felt the same energy that they all felt. Yang and Weiss both waved to them before the stage sunk back down.

"We will be taking a short break while we decide the next match and allow the combatants time to get to their seats!" Professor Port announced as things entered a sort of lax in the coliseum now. Then Kamui sighed as he stood up and Ruby frowned.

"You're leaving now?" Ruby asked and Kamui nodded.

"Leaving? Why?" Pyrrha asked, surprised.

"Yeah, don't you want to watch the rest of the matches?" Jaune asked. Kamui sighed and nodded but he nodded towards the exit.

"I would like to but I have some things to do at Beacon. My brothers and my sister want to spend some time with me…so I can't say no to that. Who knows when I'll get to do it again," Kamui explained and everyone gave a small "ah" or understanding gesture. Ruby reached out and grabbed his hand though before he could go.

"Remember what you promised..." she mouthed and Kamui smiled as he leaned down and this time she met him and kissed him gently for a few seconds before he pulled away and his hand slipped from her fingers.

"Don't worry, Ruby, he just wants to see his family. It's very rare that all of them gather in one place after all," Pyrrha assured and Ruby gave her a small smile but she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen soon. She watched Kamui go until he passed from her sight and she continued to stare until she heard her sister and her partner come back. She turned to congratulate them but she still couldn't shake that weird feeling even as she rejoiced in the fact that her team had advanced. It was probably nothing, Kamui would go have fun with his family and then tomorrow she would have him to herself on a date and then Pyrrha and Yang would fight over the champion title and they'd all celebrate no matter who won. It would be perfect…

 **Kamui's POV**

"Here we go," Kamui sighed as he quickly entered Beacon's tower. He actually had to ride Nyx back to the school since all the people running the Bullheads were watching the matches. As expected there was no one around when he reached the school, everyone was at Amity or the festival grounds. The only people around the school would be the lazy students, some teachers and the odd few that didn't feel like going out. Regardless his walk to the tower was uneventful and silent, the only sounds being the small shifting of his armor and weapons as he moved. Even when he entered the tower the usual staff were nowhere to be seen. He moved quickly, so that he would not waste the window of time that Qrow had given to him. The elevator opened for him right after he hit the button. He entered quickly and moved to the button side of the elevator and pulled his scroll out.

The elevator in the tower was the type that required one to insert their scroll into it for security reasons; it was a Hunter Academy after all. As clearance was given, the buttons would light up. General civilians would get access to the staff department and other general facilities. Students had access to go to the Headmaster's office, disciplinary and everything except for Teacher only floors. Teacher's had full access to anything. Though Kamui's scroll was supposed to have codes to something else now. He inserted his scroll into the slot easily enough and after a few moments the lights on the panel lit up but then he also noticed a slot near the bottom open. The button was just black, with no floor level or symbol on it at all. Kamui pressed it quickly and the elevator shut and then a small clicking went off around him and then the elevator went down. The elevator dropped for only a few moments before it came to a stop. There wasn't even a ding when the doors opened to reveal a…dark room.

"What is this?" Kamui thought as he left the elevator, the doors closed behind him almost immedately. The room was full marble like a ruin from the ancient days except not ruined. There were pillars along the walls with torches alight with green flames. The place was dimly light and eerie…Ryoma would like it.

"Hello?" Kamui asked, his voice just echoing through the area. He sighed and walked forward through the weird area. Like before there was only silence except for the shifting of his armor. As he continued walking though he felt a…pull in the back of his mind like something there was calling to him. As he walked further in he began to make out a machine at the end of the room. He sensed a strange power from it though, it wasn't machine it felt…familiar like he was sensing something similar to his power as a Nephilim…

"What?" Kamui paused when he could make out that the machine was Atlas in origin but more than that he could see two pods and one of them had a person inside it. He ran towards the machine right away and came to a stop in front of it. The person inside the pod was a young woman with dark skin and brown hair, she was dressed in a bunch of bandages and cloth to protect her modesty but that revealed what was wrong with her. She was not in good shape whatsoever. Her skin was marred with vicious looking scars across her abdomen and even one across her face, marring the full left side of her face. He could sense power from her but it felt weak…fleeting but slowly. She was dying…

"Who is this?" Kamui thought. He turned to the computer in the center of the two pods and he went over to it and the screen flickered on as he approached and his eyes widened when he saw the contents. It was some sort of aura transfer machine, Kamui heard that Atlas had figured out how to harness aura but it was supposed to be experimental. Vitals popped up on the screen and her aura levels were shown as well but it was the damage report that surprised him.

"What the hell…" the readings showed multiple cracked or broken bones and muscle damage throughout her body. Her heart was also badly damaged from what he could see it was barely beating. Her spine had been completely snapped in two and one of her lungs was punctured. Like she'd been trampled by a stampede of behemoths or slashed up by a sword at all her vital areas. Correction, she should be dead, no mortal could sustain life for so long after suffering from such injuries. He clicked down on the report and read the list of damages to her body and he shook his head as he looked back over at the woman, she must have been suffering. Why were they keeping her alive? And why was he sensing a strange energy from her? Who was she?

"Ozpin, Brothers…what are you doing…" Kamui thought as he turned back to the computer. He scanned through the report more but the only other piece he could find was that her name was Amber, no last name. Apparently she'd been attacked and her attackers had attempted to suck out her aura…why? Then he looked down towards the bottom of the report towards her aura and he realized that he could click on it. He moved the mouse over it and clicked it and another screen popped up with a reading on her aura but when he saw the data his eyes widened.

"Fall…Maiden…aura…" Kamui said slowly as he read the words next to the meter. A Maiden of the Seasons…he turned towards the woman in the pod, with new understanding.

"You…You're the Fall Maiden…" Kamui spoke, the woman didn't reply obviously but regardless the fact that he was staring at one of the Maidens from the story he was told when he was a kid was rather…surprising to put it lightly. Before he could ponder more though he heard the doors to the elevator open behind him. He cursed silently and quickly exited out of the screen and shut down the computer and hurried over to one of the pillars as quickly as he could. He suppressed his aura so that it couldn't be sensed and he hid in the shadows of the pillar, overlooking the machine and the dying Maiden.

"What is this place?" he heard a familiar voice ask followed by a series of footsteps, a group of people then.

"Pyrrha?" Kamui thought as he recognized the voice. He sensed his best friend along with others. He sensed his siblings, General Ironwood, Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Qrow. He expected those people to come down there but why was his friend with them. Wait…no…they couldn't be…

"This is the Vault…only we in this inner circle can access this place," a new voice replied, Ozpin.

"Wait…is that a person…the…Maiden?" Pyrrha asked, surprised and Kamui took shallow breaths to quiet himself even more as he saw the group come into his vision.

"I don't know why you are so surprised. You knew they were real since you were little, after all. You know the real story of the Maidens as do all Nephilim and the ones who serve us," Takumi asked. They all gathered around the machine and the sleeping Maiden while Pyrrha stood frozen.

"Yes…but…I never thought I'd actually meet one…we were told that they all died a long time ago," Pyrrha answered slowly. Takumi let out a small laugh at that.

"Right that's what we want the Mortals to all believe and trust me when I say that every Nephilim in this room would like to stress that word to the extreme," Takumi said pompously. Kamui saw Ironwood and Goodwitch glare at him but Ryoma interfered.

"Enough Takumi!" Ryoma cut in and Kamui felt a little satisfied when he saw Takumi huff and cross his arms.

"It's out of our hands now. Our ancestor made the decision long ago to trust those that serve us and every generation has upheld it since. We are expected to do the same, or would you prefer we cleanse everyone in this room?" Ryoma asked with authority.

"Just saying…" Takumi sighed as his fingers toyed with his bow.

"Has it been explained to you how the Maidens are chosen?" Ozpin spoke after Ryoma finished. Kamui looked back towards the Fall Maiden and he felt his anger start boiling in him if they were planning to do what he thought they were.

"Well, the story said that after a Maiden dies her power is supposed to go to the one they are thinking about as they die but it has to be a Young Woman, well...biologically young anyway. But Kamui and I were told that a Rider of War killed all of them long ago," Pyrrha said and Kamui nodded silently from the shadows. True they were told that the last of the Maidens Died around ten thousand years ago, slain by Kamui's Ancestor, Teo The Storm Blade. Obviously Kamui had been lied to and it irked him that he was the only Rider that didn't know the truth until now and that he found out by sneaking of all things.

"Indeed that is true. As you know the Maidens used to be public knowledge to everyone. Ten thousand years ago, during the time of King Marth a Nephilim killed the Maidens. The Maidens at the time sought to unleash a force sealed away long ago by the ancient Nephilim without really knowing what they had stumbled onto. They unleashed a great darkness upon the world. Teo, the Rider of War at the time was charged with hunting them down and destroying them and all who followed them. As usual no one defeats the Rider of War in their world. He succeeded in not just killing the Maidens and their followers but also wiping their existence from public knowledge just like when the First Riders wiped the Nephilim from public minds. The power did not just disappear though; the power of the Maidens transferred to new hosts, specifically ones loyal to the Nephilim. So this inner circle or Brotherhood was formed to watch over the maidens and safeguard the world. Since then the cycle of moving the Maidens to loyal followers has continued without incident…until now," Ryoma explained.

"What's different now?" Pyrrha asked. Kamui knew the answer already though since he read the report.

"Whoever attacked Amber managed to steal her power, at least half of it," Qrow answered and Kamui frowned at the thought.

"So as you imagine we are in a bit of a…standstill. This has never happened before in history. And we can't just let Amber pass since it is well known that when people are killed their last thoughts may be of their attacker…" Goodwitch continued. Pyrrha walked up to the pod containing the Fall Maiden and stared at it and Kamui didn't have to read her mind to know what she was thinking.

"We can't give you the powers of the Fall Maiden but using Atlas technology, we can give you what it's bound to," Ironwood added and Kamui frowned at that.

"Her aura…her soul…" Pyrrha said slowly. The idea was horrifying but not unheard of to Kamui. In the Golden Age of the Nephilim, a punishment they would incur on criminals would be to yank out their aura and with it their soul and immortality.

"Yes…Atlas has managed to replicate the feat of the Ancient Nephilim, at least partially," Takumi admitted and Ironwood glared at him.

"Yes…how's your pet project on making an alternative to the CCT going then?" Ironwood asked and Takumi got ruffled right away. Kamui found that interesting though, he already knew that his brother was working on something pertaining to that. Or at least he said that he wanted to, it was imperative almost so that they could communicate without needed to use the CCT of the kingdoms. Before Takumi could say anything though, Qrow interfered.

"These are very desperate times unfortunately. The Atlas eggheads have figured out how to suck aura out and stick it into something or someone in your case," Qrow said as he took a swig from his drink. Pyrrha's fist clenched on the pod and she sighed as she wiped her hand through her hair before she turned to them.

"I…I would like to agree to what you're implying but…what about my oath to Kamui? One does not just turn their back on an oath to a Nephilim. It's not the same thing as a written contract, it's a mark," Pyrrha said as she turned to them, her hand going to the part of her arm covered by her long glove. Kamui saw Ryoma shift uneasily and his eyes widened as he pieced together what his brother was going to say.

"We have ways to break oaths…" Ryoma said and Kamui felt his blood boil at that declaration. Was his opinion so invalid that they were going to ask his friend, his retainer without even consulting him?!

"You can't be serious, Ryoma?" Camilla asked and Kamui calmed himself down and listened in more. He wanted to learn all he could before he would make himself known, otherwise they might hide something from him again.

"What are you all talking about?" Ironwood asked.

"When one swears an oath to be a retainer to or be stationed close to the Nephilim, it's more than just words. It's binding and it marks you…only the one you sweat the oath to can release you…" Camilla explained and Ironwood seemed a bit surprised by that. Clearly the General still had a lot to learn about magic.

"But there are ways to break it without the specific Nephilim's permission. Any Nephilim can do it really," Takumi added. Then Camilla turned sharply on him and Kamui was thankful that one of the three was thinking about all of them!

"It's also very painful to the bearer since you'll literally be burning their soul in the process. Not to mention it's insulting to the Nephilim who set the oath. You can't do this, brother. You have to ask Kamui, he'll sense it if you do it. Pyrrha is too close to him, he will know!" Camilla shouted and Ryoma sighed as he crossed his arms. Pyrrha backed away from Ryoma too and Goodwitch got in front of her.

"Unfortunately, we cannot afford to deal with our brother's feelings on the matter. We can't afford the chance that he will block us at this desperate time. He'll ask questions if we ask him to release Pyrrha with no real reason," Ryoma said and Pyrrha gasped at that. Kamui didn't like the way things were going and decided that it was time.

"I'll make it easier for you then…here I am…ask me," Kamui said as he stepped out of the shadows to the surprise of all but three.

"Kamui!" Pyrrha exclaimed followed by similar shouts from everyone else. Ryoma didn't seem phased and Ozpin just sighed while Qrow laughed. Everyone else looked rather shocked to put it lightly.

"How did you get down here?!" Ironwood barked.

"Same way you did, the elevator," Kamui answered cheekily, smiling smugly when he saw Ironwood fume. Then the general rounded on Qrow immediately.

"You gave him clearance didn't you?!" Ironwood accused and Qrow shrugged.

"Maybe I did," Qrow said simply.

"You can't just make a call like that without consulting the rest of us!" Ironwood barked and Kamui rolled his eyes.

"I didn't. Ozpin told me to, besides the kid deserves to know the truth, especially since we've been throwing him and his friends to the wolves lately," Qrow said with a glare towards the general.

"Not to mention it's my retainer you're asking to become the Maiden…" Kamui added as he felt his powers begin to manifest again. His aura became visible as his anger built. Goodwitch weaved her way in front and she began walking towards him. Kamui might have faltered before her if his temper wasn't already going.

"Kamui we didn't mean to cause a-" Kamui glared at her and she flinched and Kamui allowed his aura and his semblance to explode around him in a rage of black and orange. The eerie-lit room lit up like a star appeared in the room and his aura created waves of wind, blowing out the green torches. While his flames danced around the room erratically but not touching anyone just yet. Goodwitch, Ironwood, Pyrrha and even Qrow had to bring their hands up to block their eyes and were pushed back a bit by the force of the energy he released. Ozpin and Kamui's siblings were not phased in the slightest though from the show of power.

"I am the Rider of War! I am a Rider of The Apocalypse so you tell me! Why was all this kept from me?!" Kamui yelled as his energy ran amuck through the area. His anger towards all of them for going behind his back and trying to use his friend without him knowing was overflowing and overriding his natural thought process. Ryoma stepped forward calmly, not at all threatened or put off by the display of power shown.

"You are still a child, Kamui. A powerful child yes, you are a Nephilim indeed but a child nonetheless. You are still too naïve to the world and the mortals. And your powers are growing erratically and you do not know how to control them properly. That is why we wanted you to wait another two years to leave so that we could help you control your powers but you wouldn't listen and forged out on your own. And on top of that you let your feelings guide all your actions just like now," Ryoma explained calmly as he stared him down. Kamui glowered at him but his anger reeled back at his words. He sighed as his brother and Qrow's words ran through his mind again. He calmed himself and pulled his power back. He lit the torches back up anew with his own flames before his aura and his semblance pulled back fully, the light in the room returning back to the eerie light. The ones who were affected by his show were either shocked or just annoyed.

"Camilla was aloud to leave early…why couldn't I be aloud the same honor?" Kamui asked simply, bitterness dripping from his voice. Ryoma winced slightly and the Rider of War had to resist the urge to smirk. Then his brother's gaze hardened up and Kamui didn't outwardly react but inside he was tense like he entered a dragon's lair. Ryoma was about to reply but Ozpin stepped forward.

"Mr. Legacy. We meant no offense; your brother spoke out of turn perhaps. He was merely putting all our options before us. But we really do believe that Miss Nikos is our best option," Ozpin explained and Kamui's gaze lingered on his brother who turned away as he returned to his usual monotone look. Kamui sighed and shook his head before turning to Pyrrha.

"Come here, Pyrrha. I want to hear your thoughts," Kamui ordered. Pyrrha nodded slowly as she came over to him and she stopped in front of him but she didn't speak and she wouldn't meet his eyes. After a few moments of silence Kamui sighed as he realized he would have to prompt her.

"Pyrrha…you know that I won't stand in your way if you want this, right?" Kamui asked and Pyrrha's emerald eyes locked on his finally and it just occurred to him that she had to look up to him now. When they started at Beacon he had to look up to her but now it was the other way around. He was probably around Jaune's height now.

"Pyrrha, you don't have to hold your tongue around me. I'm not so little anymore, neither of us are," Kamui said as he placed his hand on her shoulder gently.

"You've been a very good friend to me…you've been there for me since we were both little. You were my friend…Corrin's friend too. I've never once thought of you as just a servant or a guard. So…if you really want this then I'll allow it. Corrin would want you to chose what you wanted. You always put the needs of others before yourself, you're one of the most considerate people I know, outdone only by your boyfriend," Kamui said softly, Pyrrha flinched at the mention of his twin and laughed softly at the mention of Jaune. Kamui didn't actually know what his twin would think obviously but she was Pyrrha's friend too. Then Kamui's hands tightened on her shoulders as he shook her gently.

"But listen…I would be a bad friend if I didn't warn you about this now. Becoming a Maiden is a great honor, one of the highest in my opinion. It means you've been trusted to be a protector or a keeper of the world. But if you agree to be the Maiden, I highly doubt they'll keep you here. Especially if there really is someone after the Fall Maiden powers. You'll have to leave Beacon behind, your path to become a Huntress ends if you make this choice. Ren, Nora, Team RWBY, me. Not to mention Jaune, you'll be leaving all of us behind at least for a time if you go on this path…just make sure you weigh your options before you jump in…" Kamui explained and Pyrrha's emerald eyes drifted down as he released her. Kamui sighed as he watched her fidget in front of him. His gaze shifted to the people behind her and they were just watching them with varying degrees of emotion or guarded expressions. He sighed and decided he would truly place the power in his friend's hands.

"Give me your arm, Pyrrha," Kamui said and he vaguely noticed Camilla give a small gasp. Pyrrha's eyes snapped to his in shock but nodded slowly. Pyrrha silently reached up to her armband on her left arm and removed it slowly. When it was removed it revealed a mark on her arm. It was a flaming sword over the symbol on Ryoma's armor. The symbol of the Rider of War. Kamui took her arm in his hand gently and he raised his other hand and pressed three of his fingers against the mark. He felt Pyrrha tense as he did and he closed his eyes as he focused on his aura.

"I, Kamui Legacy, Nephilim Rider of War hear by release you…thank you for your years of service…" Kamui said as he twisted his fingers over the mark before he swiped his hand through it, breaking it. He opened his eyes to see the mark disappear from Pyrrha and then he released her arm.

"Kamui?" Pyrrha asked attentively. He gave her a sad smile and shook his head.

"Don't worry Pyrrha. This way you can make the choice you want with no strings attached. You've spent so long only thinking about others…now think about yourself for once, choose wisely," he said and then Pyrrha hugged him right away. He returned the warm hug to his oldest friend before he pulled her away from him after a few moments. His heart felt heavy like this was going to be one of the last times he would see his friend.

"Thank you, Kamui…I…thank you…" Pyrrha said gratefully and he nodded before he stepped to the side so he could address the other people behind her.

"I expect to be kept in the loop from now on…that means meetings and access. And if you want to send my friends on some kind of suicide mission, you have to go through me first so I have time to prepare. And I want access to Takumi's pet project that he's been working on, right now," Kamui spoke. If he was going to have to give up one of his friends, he wasn't walking away empty handed.

"Of course," Ozpin said followed by a shocked look from Ironwood and Takumi. To Takumi's credit though he backed down right away and he actually flashed a smile towards Kamui. He just pulled out his scroll and tapped a few things on it and then Kamui felt his scroll give off a small vibrate.

"Whatever good you think it'll do you, Little Brother," Takumi sighed. Ironwood was not so quick to relent though to the demands.

"Ozpin, you can't just decide something like that!" Ironwood chided but Ozpin snapped a glare to him so fast that the hardened general flinched.

"We are trying to rob our most promising group of Hunters-in-training of one of their own. And we have coerced a Rider to release one of his most trusted to us. I believe he is entitled to these simple demands," Ozpin said.

"Indeed, these demands are nothing in comparison to what we have asked for," Ryoma added. Everyone turned their gaze to the general and the man conceded when he saw that he was the minority in the vote.

"Very well…we'll make the arrangements. We won't put the plans in motion until after the Festival though," Ironwood said and everyone turned their gaze away from him.

"James makes a good point. There is no need to rush into things now. The Tournament is still on and we need to use it to lull a calm on the people. They're still reeling from the Breach as I'm sure you're aware," Goodwitch commented and then Ozpin sighed and tapped his cane on the ground.

"Yes, there is no need to make any brash decision, it would be best if you take the time to think about your decision, Miss Nikos. You best think about your own choices as well, Mr. Legacy," Ozpin said. Then he nodded towards the elevator but Kamui didn't move.

"You're not going to talk about us behind our back are you?" Kamui asked and this time Camilla stepped forward.

"Kamui, please," his sister urged. Kamui faltered almost right away and sighed. His sister while a bit overbearing had always tended to think about his wellbeing even if it was to the point of driving him crazy. His eyes scanned over all of them before he turned and went to the elevator, Pyrrha falling in step behind him. It wasn't until the elevator closed that Pyrrha decided to speak.

"Kamui, I have to ask you something…a request," Pyrrha said softly and Kamui turned to her.

"Anything," he replied without hesitation. Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder and her emerald eyes stared into his pleadingly.

"I…If I decide to be the Maiden, I don't want you to follow after me…at all. I don't want you to follow me out of some notion that you want to keep me safe. You are one of my best friend's and I know that you told me to stop thinking about others but I can't. You don't have the option to bow out now," Pyrrha pleaded and Kamui's eyes widened. He smiled sadly though since admittedly he did toy with the idea of going after her. How could he not? Pyrrha had grown up with him since they were kids and had been his friend ever since. Though he could understand where she was going with her words.

"Do you understand?" Pyrrha asked as she shook him. Kamui didn't answer but his eyes didn't drop from hers. She grabbed him with her other hand and shook him after a few moments.

"You're not just another student here. You are a leader, a leader in two teams of Beacon. You earn top marks in all areas of the school, fighting and schoolwork. RWBY and JNPR all look up to you, even Yang and Ren to an extent. You've helped them all out so much already that they see you as a part of their family. Even a lot of the other students are starting to see you in that light. If that's not enough, you have Ruby to think about too. You can't just leave her behind like that…" Pyrrha pleaded. Kamui sighed, yes those were the same words that ran through his head too when he thought about offering to go with her if she chose to be the Fall Maiden.

"What about you? You're not just another student here either. You're earning top marks in every aspect of Beacon as well. My team is your team too, you may not be a leader but you are still a part of the team. They all see you as a part of their family as well. And what about Jaune? He doesn't just look up to you, he loves you with all his heart. The day he confessed to you was the happiest moment of your life if I remember right," Kamui responded. Oh he remembered that day very well, vividly actually. If Pyrrha had wings she would have been flying. Jaune had been happier than he ever saw before too, it was a nice change considering that he had gotten his heart broken by Weiss just a few days prior.

"That's why you have to stay…you have to be there for him, for all of them. I want you to stay with Ruby and become the best Hunters ever. I want you to raise Jaune up to attain his dream of becoming a real Hunter. I want you to stay with our friends. This is my selfish request; I want you to make sure that you keep going on this path you're on. Even if I have to depart from it and follow my own. Promise me," Pyrrha pleaded as she stared at him desperately. Kamui sighed as he pulled his friend into a hug.

"I promise that I will not impede your choice or follow you if you depart. I promise I will not abandon our team…" Kamui promised and Pyrrha hugged him tightly for a few moments and they parted when the elevator doors opened up. They both stepped out into the empty floor and before Pyrrha could wander off, Kamui spoke up.

"Promise me this then Pyrrha. Go spend time with Jaune and…tell him what you plan to do. I don't want to be the one to break the news to him, he deserves to be told before anything happens," Kamui said. Pyrrha froze and she didn't even turn to him. Then after a few tense moments she continued on her way out of the tower and Kamui sighed as he walked out of the tower slowly.

"What a day…" Kamui sighed. He pulled his scroll out of his belt and opened it up to see the contents of the message Takumi gave him as per his demand. He smiled when he saw the complex designs and the notes for the project. Before he could ponder on it more though his scroll started ringing and Ruby's number popped up on screen. He smiled and answered the call.

"Yes Ruby?" Kamui asked.

"Hey Kamui, are you still busy?" Ruby asked. Kamui laughed when he heard the little nervousness in her voice.

"Not at all, Ruby. I just finished actually, I'm all yours, so what do you want to do?" Kamui asked, needing the date more than he thought he would now.

"Actually…can we have our date later. I just talked with Penny and she said that she'll be able to spend time with us all day tomorrow. So I said we would go with her to make up for you not being able to come yesterday," Ruby said with barely concealed excitement. An idea came to Kamui's head as he took in the news though, he would have trouble looking over the notes since he wasn't an expert on communications but Ruby would be excited to help him out with it when he explained what it could do. And if Penny was going to be available…

"That's fine with me Ruby. In fact I just got my hands on something from my brother that you and Penny might want to take a look at. Think of it like a little fun project," Kamui said. Yes, indeed he was not going to be walking away from the Brotherhood empty handed. Perhaps he could even get it ready before Pyrrha had to leave so that she would still be connected to them.


End file.
